10.3a Social Movement Collective Action

Collective action in support of a social movement can take many forms of direct action, including:

  • Media stunts
  • Boycotts
  • Sit-ins/roadblocks
  • Marches
  • Letter-writing campaigns
  • Lobbying
  • Demonstrations
  • Divestment (or investment in companies that uphold certain principles)
  • Hashtags
  • Collective solidarity and allyship
  • Lawsuits

During the 2022, the group, Just Stop Oil, engaged in media stunts. They glued themselves to art (see Photo 10.7) and threw cans of tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” painting in the London National Gallery (CBS News, 2024b) to draw attention to their demands. They demanded that the United Kingdom government stop new oil, gas, and coal projects. In the case of soup-throwing, the protestors did not harm the painting, though the frame was damaged. Both activists were arrested and convicted of criminal damage to the frame (Low, 2024). In 2024, they were sentenced to prison: Phoebe Plummer was sentenced to two years, and Anna Holland was sentenced to 20 months. Overall, 3,000 Just Stop Oil activists have been arrested and 100 imprisoned (Just Stop Oil, 2024). The social movement organization, however, views their work as successful because their government has committed to not doing more drilling in the North Sea (Just Stop Oil, 2024; Wallace & McDonald, 2024).

Photo 10.7

Just Stop Oil Protestors Glued Themselves to the Frame as Part of their Protest

Not all forms of social movement collective action are radical or illegal. For example, taking part in a letter-writing campaign or being an ally are moderate forms of participation and are not unlawful. Moreover, the U.S. Constitution protects the right to protest and assemble, as well as freedom of speech. However, the government and private property owners are allowed to restrict protests, too. For example, protesters might need a permit to protest in a public space. Sociologists have long focused on whether and how social movements affect social change. Social movements have changed people's behavior, policy, and attitudes (Amenta & Polletta, 2019). A meta-analysis of 57 cases of anti-fossil fuel social movements "showed that social movements constrain fossil fuel supplies, support social and political processes needed for climate change mitigation, and potentially avoid emissions through at least ten different contributions" (Thiri et al., 2022, p. 10). Contributions include raising awareness, postponing and canceling fossil fuel projects, creating new regulations and policy changes around fossil fuels, divesting, and more.
Just Stop Oil Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Just Stop Oil, 2022, Wikimedia (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=126592894). Free license.

Not all forms of social movement collective action are radical or illegal. For example, taking part in a letter-writing campaign or being an ally are moderate forms of participation and are not unlawful. Moreover, the U.S. Constitution protects the right to protest and assemble, as well as freedom of speech. However, the government and private property owners are allowed to restrict protests, too. For example, protesters might need a permit to protest in a public space.

Sociologists have long focused on whether and how social movements affect social change. Social movements have changed people’s behavior, policy, and attitudes (Amenta & Polletta, 2019). A meta-analysis of 57 cases of anti-fossil fuel social movements “showed that social movements constrain fossil fuel supplies, support social and political processes needed for climate change mitigation, and potentially avoid emissions through at least ten different contributions” (Thiri et al., 2022, p. 10). Contributions include raising awareness, postponing and canceling fossil fuel projects, creating new regulations and policy changes around fossil fuels, divesting, and more.

Continue Reading Section 10.3

Study Resources for Chapter 10

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🎓Review

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