Social actors : mobilization and demobilization

1- Objectives
Collective action is at the center of many debates: some lament the "crisis of social movements," while others are enthusiastic about the resurgence of collective action. As citizens observing societal phenomena and as agents of change, we are sometimes perplexed by the apparent apathy of citizens, or on the contrary, amazed or concerned by movements we did not see coming.
What explains these dynamics of (de)mobilization in contemporary society? What are the (new) forms and issues of collective action? Together, we will seek answers to these questions.
The course aims to enable students to appropriate and have the capacity to implement the theories and concepts of the sociology of collective action in order to characterize, understand, and explain mobilization (and demobilization) phenomena, both historical and contemporary.

• What enables us to understand the initiation of collective action?
• How do individuals come to participate in it?
• Internal/external factors for success/failure?
• Historical changes/new social movements
• Research methods - action research, sociological intervention.

Specific Objectives:

• Lead students to situate and appropriate the main theories, key concepts, and authors of the sociology of collective action, both from French-speaking sociology (Alain Touraine and the actionalist school, Guy Bajoit, Erik Neveu, Lilian Mathieu...) and Anglo-Saxon sociology (Edward Thompson, Mancur Olson, Doug McAdam, ...).
• Encourage reflection on the characteristics and transformations of collective action (old and new social movements), particularly by analyzing the forms, conditions, and stakes of contemporary local and global mobilizations: climate and environmental mobilizations, feminist and anti-racist movements, labor actions, and citizen mobilizations around issues of redistribution and recognition.
• In terms of training in sociological approaches and methods, the course will also aim to introduce the principles of sociological analysis of collective action phenomena (historicize social phenomena, articulate different levels of analysis, grasp social movements in their complexity...) and methods (sociological intervention, group analysis method...) by presenting emblematic research.

2- Content

• Paradigms of sociology and the analysis of collective action.
• Relations of solidarity and exchange (typology of forms of collective action) and explanations of collective action.
• Stages of collective action: theory of mobilization and demobilization (factors explaining the transition from indifference to protest and mobilization, role of leaders...).
• Concepts of Alain Touraine's actionalist sociology (historicity, class conflicts, institutional conflicts, organizational conflicts, social movements, typology of collective action...).
• Grammars and repertoires of collective action.
• Mutations of collective action: old and new social movements.
• Methods of sociological analysis and intervention.

- Each course session will include a presentation by the instructor that delves deeper into and elaborates on the topic under discussion.
- The course will be based on a combination of theoretical tools, case study presentations, and situational exercises.
- Some of the classes will reserve time for discussion and debate, including experimenting with the group analysis method.
- A comprehensive syllabus will be provided to the students. It may be supplemented with a collection of articles.
- For assessment, there will be group work focusing on the analysis of a specific mobilization (see detailed instructions below).

The assessment procedures are specified in the educational contract established with the FOPES group. The educational contract serves as the reference document.
Knowledge assessment will be based on the completion of research work in subgroups (or sub-subgroups) focusing on the analysis of a collective action. This work will apply the theories and concepts covered in the course to a specific collective action (local mobilization, social movement, etc.) chosen and analyzed by the subgroup. This work will include a methodological component (conducting interviews, research and analysis of documents, participant observation). This work will have certification value.
Guidelines for Subgroup Work:
The work will consist of an original analysis of a collective action, which can be approached in one of the following ways:

• In its entirety (from its inception to its provisional conclusion).
• In one of its phases (1) from indifference to protest, 2) from protest to mobilization, etc.).
• In one of its dimensions (action repertoire, leaders, membership, etc.).

This analysis should utilize the analytical framework (or a part of it) presented in the course.

• The work must focus on the analysis of a COLLECTIVE ACTION.

The collective actions of interest are those of groups that, by establishing relations of solidarity and exchange (in relation to interlocutors-adversaries), seek to challenge elements of the social structure:

• Temporal reference: Continuous action over time.
• Collective dimension: It involves action on behalf of a social category, involving the individuals concerned.
• Linked to social, cultural, and political objectives.
• Aims to defend or challenge some or all of the social structure.

Examples include the actions of neighborhood committees opposing specific development projects, labor disputes, actions by feminist collectives or environmental associations, etc.
However, the following will not be considered:

• Actions by political parties (even if their links to the analyzed movement can be taken into account).
  
• Actions by service associations.
  
• Analysis of public policy.
  
• The theme of the work will be submitted to the instructor for approval. The instructor will provide feedback during the implementation process, following a mutually agreed-upon schedule.
  
• This is an ANALYSIS work. It should not be limited to creating a historical or descriptive dossier. The work must include a research question (what you are trying to understand or explain), reference a theoretical framework, formulate a hypothesis (a provisional answer to the research question), and seek to test it (confirm, invalidate, or qualify it) using original empirical material (interviews with some actors, consultation of secondary sources such as press releases, pamphlets, etc.).
  
• It must be an original work. The work cannot be limited to presenting, even critically, a book, an article, or a research report.
  
• This written work will be followed by an oral presentation, possibly supported by a PowerPoint presentation, during the course (final session). The subgroup should ensure that its presentation closely resembles the format of a presentation at a scientific conference (clear and structured presentation, within a limited time frame, highlighting the key points of the approach and the results of the work).
  
• The evaluation and grading criteria are as follows:
  
  • The quality of the research work.
  • The depth of the analysis.
  • The clarity of the presentation.

If the work completed is found to be insufficient, the subgroup will be asked to improve it based on feedback from the instructor until it meets the required standard.