Mobilization Spring Update

Social Movement Scholar,

Welcome to the latest Mobilization update.

We are excited to announce the publication of our latest issue featuring groundbreaking research on contentious politics across multiple contexts. From digital activism to cross-national protest analysis, these articles offer valuable insights for scholars studying the dynamics of collective action and political change.

Planning is well underway for our 2025 conference. In an era where democratic norms are being contested across the globe, this gathering will provide a vital forum for scholars to analyze how movements are navigating, resisting, and reimagining governance during these turbulent times. We hope you'll join us.

The newest articles in Mobilization

Rethinking Social Movements in Intense Times
Donatella della Porta 
Examining dynamics of contentious politics in turbulent periods, della Porta conceptualizes “time intensification” as moments when structural constraints weaken and collective agency gains prominence. Her analysis identifies two critical processes: “fluidization” of structures through relational ruptures and emotional outrage, and “densification” of social relations. Her framework demonstrates how diminished predictability forces activists to respond rapidly under uncertainty, effectively bridging traditional social movement theories with newer approaches to illuminate contemporary crisis politics. Read the article.

Resisting the Far-Right: Explaining Divergent Countermobilization Trajectories in Two German Cities
Larissa Daria Meier, Jan Matti Dollbaum, Priska Daphi, and Sebastian Haunss
Meier, Dollbaum, Daphi, and Haunss explain the trajectories of two German anti-far-right campaigns: in Dresden, against the extreme-right movement Pegida, and compare it to countermobilization against Legida—Pegida's Leipzig offshoot. Their research identifies three critical factors accounting for these divergent outcomes: activist coalition structures, city-specific political identities, and patterns of elite support. Their analysis reveals how local contexts—characterized by self-reinforcing combinations of mobilization structures and subjective understandings of contentious action—fundamentally shape resistance efforts. This comparative case study demonstrates the essential importance of place-based dynamics in determining the effectiveness of civil society opposition to far-right actors. Read the article.

#AFringeMinority: TikTok’s Platform Vernacular and Framing Collective Identity in the Freedom Convoy Protests
William Hollingshead
Examining 813 TikTok videos, Hollingshead reveals how platform-specific vernacular shaped the Canadian freedom convoy's collective identity. Supporters leveraged opposition to state intervention and nationalistic pride to moralize pre-pandemic returns under "freedom" claims through three key practices: alternative broadcasting, monologuing, and audio memes. This research demonstrates how collective identity formation is fundamentally bound to platform-specific communicative cultures, particularly TikTok's unique digital environment. Read the article. 

Political Process, State Actions, and Variations in Insurgent Violence: Evidence from Israel-Palestine
Eitan Y. Alimi, Alon Burstein, and Orit Moradov
Analyzing Israeli-Palestinian dynamics during the first Intifada, Alimi, Burstein, and Moradov demonstrate how changes in the state's structure of political opportunities and threats (SPOT) influence state responses to insurgent violence. Their research examines both the overall conflict period and distinct subperiods characterized by different SPOTs, revealing that favorable SPOTs correlate with more discriminate state actions. Their findings show that discriminate actions, whether repressive or conciliatory, typically decrease insurgent violence, while indiscriminate actions of either type tend to escalate violence. Read the article. 

Chocolate and Politics: A Crossnational, Survey-Based Experiment on Recruitment to a Boycott Campaign
Shelley Boulianne and Nicole Houle
Boulianne and Houle's survey-based experiment across 6,290 participants reveals critical patterns in boycott mobilization against chocolate produced with child labor. Their comparative reseach spanning the US, UK, France, and Canada demonstrates that while organizational endorsements fail to motivate action, friend-based prompts significantly increase participation willingness, though individuals' attitudes toward chocolate moderate this effect. This research provides valuable insights into how interpersonal relationships and organizational affiliations differently affect citizen mobilization for political action. Read the article. 

“Peace Can Only Come Wrapped in the Israeli Flag:” Navigating Multiple Frames in an Intersectional Women’s Peace Movement
Veronica Lion
Analyzing tensions within an Israeli women's peace movement, Lion's research examines how Women Wage Peace (WWP) navigates competing frames of peace activism and intersectionality principles. Her case study reveals how frame alignment processes produced identity hierarchies and fundamental goal shifts, eventually abandoning intersectional framing for conventional motherhood narratives, homogenized membership, and cross-border cooperation priorities. These findings highlight the complex challenges social movement organizations face when attempting to incorporate intersectionality into their strategic framing while operating within nationalistic contexts. Read the article.