Social Movements

Social movement researchers have been interested in how forms of collective action advance social change. This entry presents four main research traditions that study the ways in which social movements aim to achieve their mission, namely, by mobilizing resources, taking advantage of political opportunities, framing issues in advantageous ways, and engaging in discursive hegemonic struggle. Examining these research traditions highlights not only the connection between social movement theory and strategic communication, but also offers a number of future avenues for research that might reveal insights into how organizations can go beyond narrow issues of self‐interest and communicate purposively to advance their mission and change social reality.