Protest: A Cultural Introduction to Social Movements shows why we can’t understand our world at all without grasping the profound impact of protest. Gurpinder Lalli think this book is particularly suited to activists who appreciate the dedication towards social movements and also those who are involved in policymaking

Lalli, Gurpinder

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15/04/2015Book Review: Protest: A Cultural Introduction to SocialMovementsblogs.lse.ac.uk /lsereviewofbooks/2015/04/15/book-review-a-cultural-introduction-to-social-movements/Protest: A Cultural Introduction to Social Movements shows why we can’t understand our world at allwithout grasping the profound impact of protest. Gurpinder Lalli think this book is particularly suited to activists whoappreciate the dedication towards social movements and also those who are involved in policymaking.Protest: A Cultural Introduction to Social Movements: ACultural Introduction to Social Movements. James M.Jasper. Polity Press. 2014.Protest: A Cultural Introduction to Social Movements  starts bysaying, “…protest occurs every day, around the planet and italways has. Protest is a fundamental part of human existence,and every period in history has the potential to bring aboutimportant changes”. Author James M. Jasper is an academicbased in the Graduate Center of the City University of NewYork, with a vested interest and expertise in cultural andemotional dimensions of social movements. The key ideaspresented in this book are that history should not be ignored interms of the significant events that have shaped the way societyfunctions today. He presents a view in favour of the ‘protestor’,with a particular focus on building an appreciation for the viewsof protestors.This book offers a compelling account of the cultural meaningsand feelings brought about by those who are protesting orfighting for a relevant cause. This review places a focus on theopening two chapters, “What are Social Movements” and“Meaning”, bringing together interpretations behind whatconstitutes a social movement, giving reference to a workingdefinition. Overall, this book is written in the form of anethnography in that it seeks to capture the cultural meanings behind the values instilled in those involved in suchmovements.Jasper forms his interpretation of social movements by arguing that they are sustained, intentional efforts to fosteror impede broad legal and social changes, primarily outside the normal institutional channels endorsed byauthorities. The book opens with an introductory view on all the key terms which form a fundamental part of thediscussion throughout the text. These include defining social movements and differentiating between whatconstitutes culture and what does not. For Jasper, culture holds three key components: cognition, emotions, andmorality. In his ideas of “not culture” he draws on issues of resources, arenas and political structures and developsan argument for how, together with culture, they interact with one another.Chapter one draws on the history of political reign. It focuses on English radical John Wilkes, who is described ascharismatic in all his pursuits, which aided his legal victories against the King and government. Importance is placedon the individual who gets groups together to pressure officials onto the streets. As Jasper notes, both protestorsand players in opposition, put themselves in the heads of their opponents. It is through this interpretation that one isable to place meaning on the world. Questions are posed in terms of what it is that carries our meanings.1/3Where there is political movement, there is philosophical movement. Some of the key theories discussed in this firstchapter include ‘resource mobilisation theory’ and ‘political opportunity theory’ which are referenced to support ideasof structure and organisation. Overall, however, the author provides an illustration of the four major theoreticalorientations which lead to his theories on culture.Chapter two highlights both a UK and US context, with reference to the feminist movement covering the post 1905era which saw the women’s suffrage movement to the present day. In order to further clarify meaning, Jasperdistinguished between physical and figurative carriers. Physical carriers involved a variety of messages used totarget the attention of the audience. It is argued that for a meaning to resonate, it must engage our feelings and notmerely trigger a dictionary definition. This is illustrated by a table in which a number of figurative carriers of meaningare described. These include slogans and chants, facts, narratives and characters, as well as other relevant terms.The remainder of the chapter focuses on a discussion on other forms of cultural meanings including ‘politicalcharacters’, ‘memory’, ‘interactions’ and ‘our bodies and our selves’. ‘Political characters’ are identified as those whohave the strength to fight back. The key message communicated here is that these characters can embody aconversion from ‘villain to hero’. It is also identified that abused children who grow up tend to favour terms likesurvivor as opposed to hero.  ‘Memory’ is framed as one which is ‘collective’ in nature. People, events and placesfrom history are said to hold meanings just as much as books. It is through the field of collective memory thatinfluential cultural meanings can be communicated. For example, governments tend to construct stone monumentsin order to celebrate victories.‘Interactions’ are also used for meaning-making purposes through various raw materials, including colours and linesin books, shapes and carvings in monuments, but the author argues that these can only be used to make sense ofthe world through the actions of people. The later section of chapter two addresses “Our bodies, our selves”, makinglinks to the influential feminist movements of the 1970s. Here, he argues that we understand others by how theylook. Typical outcomes of reaction include rejecting those who do not look like us or developing an attraction for thatperson for their perceived beauty.Together, this signifies that humans are unable to refrain from finding a meaning in the world and the example usedhere is one of emotions; which guides the process of meaning-making and engages us in our pursuits towards ourattractions in a complex environment. Cultural sociology is said to have inherited cultural anthropology’sapprehensive uncertainty toward interpreting cultures as comprehensible, cohesive systems of meaning. This bookoffers a philosophical account through theorising and practical methods odetailing the complexities surroundingthese social movements. There is a clear need for further review in this particular area; review in the philosophicaland political sense. An anthropological account of meaning is pursued in the first section of the book which attemptsto place social movements in context, drawing on historical references which include key social movements andwhich relate to the present day of scholars who have attempted to organise these events into issues of diversecomplexity.In essence, this book is particularly suited to activists who appreciate the dedication towards social movements andalso those who are involved in policymaking, whom are able to take into consideration the complexities offeredthrough the narrative of audience of protestors. In order to solve issues around the globe, it is important to recognisethe involvement of those on the ‘shop floor’ and to consider their motives in developing future policy.——————————————————————————Gurpinder Lalli is a lecturer at the University of Wolverhampton where he teaches Education Studies. For his PhD,he carried out an ethnographic case study on the impact of food on learning at the University of Leicester. Hisresearch interests include culture and identity, social learning spaces, social policy and pedagogic practices inschool meals.Copyright 2013 LSE Review of Books2/33/3

Book review: protest: a cultural introduction to social movements

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