Black Networks Matter (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781009475709)

Scholars have long recognized that interpersonal networks play a role in mobilizing social movements. Yet, many questions remain. This Element addresses these questions by theorizing about three dimensions of ties: emotionally strong or weak, movement insider or outsider, and ingroup or cross-cleavage. The survey data on the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests show that weak and cross-cleavage ties among outsiders enabled the movement to evolve from a small provocation into a massive national mobilization. In particular, the authors find that Black people mobilized one another through social media and spurred their non-Black friends to protest by sharing their personal encounters with racism. These results depart from the established literature regarding the civil rights movement that emphasizes strong, movement-internal, and racially homogenous ties. The networks that mobilize appear to have changed in the social media era. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Author: Matthew David Simonson, Ray Jr. Block, James N. Druckman
ISBN-10: 1009475703
ISBN-13: 9781009475709
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 02/15/2024
Pages: 94
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.66lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.25d