The Ethnic Dimensions in Social Movements*

Abstract

This paper draws on work in the social construction of race and ethnicity to explain why race/ethnic divisions are so often axes of domination and why these divisions are central to social movements. Ethnic/racial groups are constructed in political processes that are intertwined with state formation and social movements. Processes of state formation create ethnic/racial groups, and define majorities and minorities, and create racial/ethnic structures of domination. Physical and social segregation in tandem with intergenerational inheritance creates network cliquing that reinforces group boundaries, group differences, and group interests. Movements by members of dominant racial/ethnic majorities differ from movements by members of subordinate racial/ethnic minorities in key ways including access to democratic processes for achieving group goals, experience of repression, need for allies, identity construction, processes of consciousness raising, and bases of mobilization. The "ethnic dimensions" matter for all social movements.

Analyzing ethnoracial mobilization

“…David Snow, Sarah Soule, and Hanspeter Kriesi define social movements as “collectivities acting with some degree of organization and continuity outside of institutional or organizational channels for the purpose of challenging or defending extant authority, whether it is institutionally or culturally based, in the group, organization, society, culture, or world order of which they are a part” (Snow, Soule, & Kriesi, , p. 11). Although all movements arguably have a “specific ethnic configuration” (Oliver, p. 409), we favor Fleming and Morris's (, p. 106) definition of ethnoracial movements to narrow the focus for this paper: “collective action concerned with the boundaries and political stakes of groups understood in ethnic and racial terms.” Thus, our definition includes any group that understands themselves to be representing an ethnoracial group and is organized in a fashion to make change for said group.…”

“…Any theory of social movements needs to pay attention to these dimensions as part of its analysis. (Oliver, , p. 22)…”

“…As a result, they are unable to theorize the actions of the criminal justice system as an integral part of the state's repression of social movement/protest activity in communities of color in the United States. In another article, Oliver (, p. 243) talks more specifically about the effects of mass incarceration on mobilization arguing that “protests by disadvantaged minorities are inhibited by repression, but protest‐centric research has blinded researchers to the full range of repressive strategies.” Furthermore, Oliver has developed a theory of the “ethnic dimensions of social movements.” She asserts that ethnicity and race have implications for all social movements and that “movements by members of dominant racial/ethnic majorities differ from movements by members of subordinate racial/ethnic minorities in key ways, including access to democratic processes for achieving group goals, experience of repression, need for allies, identity construction, processes of consciousness raising, and bases of mobilization” (Oliver, , p. 1). Thus, she calls on social movements scholars to no longer ignore the racial/ethnic dimensions of social movement activity.…”

“…Any theory of social movements needs to pay attention to these dimensions as part of its analysis. (Oliver, , p. 22)Oliver further develops this theory in her 2017 article in Mobilization , in which she suggests some questions that scholars can use to be more attentive to the dynamics of race in movements. She encourages scholars to address whether a group is peopled by members of a majority group or a minority group, whether a group is issue‐focused or group‐focused, and whether a movement is internally or externally focused.…”

“…Oliver's distinction between majority and minority movements is one that scholars in all traditions should be attentive to. She finds that movements composed of people from either primarily ethnoracial majority groups or minority groups differ in a variety of ways, including in access to electoral and political power, coercive power, economic resources, strategies, identities, frames, internal culture, and cultural connections to the larger society, among others (Oliver, , p. 402). As a result, “research that attends to a movement's ethnic configuration will draw better theoretical conclusions about how particular movement processes work” (Oliver, , p. 410).…”