Rev 11: Understanding Soc Mvmts

A common post modernist critique is that social theorists rationality "draws straight lines of historical action" in the past & then projects that into the future when in fact there are no straight lines in the past, present or future

For Farley the necessary conditions for the formation of a soc mvmt include...

1. Dissatisfaction: - that people must be dissatisfied

2. Communication: - that people who are dissatisfied must be able to communicate w/ each other

3. Survival of repression: - that people must be able to survive attempts at repression

4. Perception of chance for success: - that the mvmt must seen by participants & potential participants as having a reasonable chance for success

5. Adequate resources: - that people must have adequate resources including leadership, money, supporters, etc.

Any one of the necessary conditions, or several of them, are not by themselves adequate for the formation of a soc mvmt; a soc mvmt requires all of the necessary conditions to form; however, the necessary conditions do not guarantee success

Most revolutions occur because of widespread dissatisfaction w/ an existing system

Social conditions such as poverty & injustice under cruel, corrupt, or incapable rulers may contribute to revolution, but in most cases, social problems alone do not cause revolutions

Poor social conditions lead to despair rather than a will to fight for something better

Revolutions need strong leaders who can use unsatisfactory conditions to unite people under a program that promises improvements

Many revolutions occur after rulers begin to lose confidence in themselves & yield to various demands from their rivals

Compromises by rulers, or rapidly improving social conditions, create a revolution of rising expectations as people begin to see hope for a better life

If changes do not keep pace w/ people's expectations, the people lose faith in their rulers & start listening to revolutionary leaders

The French Rev of 1789 & the Russian Rev both began after the rulers agreed to the people's demands for representative assemblies

The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 occurred after the govt released some of its strongest opponents from prison

Not all revolutions have led to improved conditions because some revolutionaries have worked for change only to gain political power for themselves or because the goals were unattainable under the circumstances

A number of conservative rulers have called themselves revolutionaries simply to convince the public that they support social & economic changes

The various explanations of the formation of soc mvmts each consider one or more of the necessary conditions for soc mvmts:

Personality Theory

Mass Society Theory

Marx's Theory of Revolution

Johnson's Theory of Revolution: Disequilibrium Theory

Relative Deprivation Theory

Charles Tilly: Revolution through Collective Action

Resource Mobilization Theory

Political Process Theory

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Outline on Why the Middle & Working Classes Have Not Organized

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- Project: Why People Don't Get Involved

THE MID & WKING CLASSES HAVE NOT ORGANIZED BECAUSE:

[Note that all of these reasons are intertwined & influence each other]

1. COMPETITION MAKES SACRIFICE FOR THE GROUP DIFFICULT

The mid & wking classes have not organized because the present socio economic political system (SEP Sys) makes it hard to sacrifice for the group, the greater good, when you are fighting for survival

2. THERE IS A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE REASONS TO ORGANIZE, & HOW TO ORGANIZE

The mid & wking classes have not organized because the non upper classes lack basic knowledge of the workings of the SEP Sys

See Also: The Theories of the Social Sciences

See Also: Giddens

Reflexivity is a concept that contradicts the concept of determinism; the latter which denotes that behavior is 'caused' by social forces

Because the soc sciences have traditionally focused on how the social forces of socialization, social structures, peer pressure, economics, etc. all tend to circumscribe, cause, impact behavior, the soc sciences have been accused of being deterministic, view people as robotic w/ only the illusion of choice

The concept of reflexivity denotes that while the social forces of the as explored by the soc sciences do indeed impact individual, grp, & col beh, individuals, grps, & collectivities also impact the soc forces

Touraine is noting that soc mvmts are an important soc organization that allow people to impact the soc forces that are impacting them

Thus, while soc forces may be 'automatic' in the sense that behavior is, as the symbolic interactionist say, 'over determined,' reflexivity is not automatic & individuals, grps, & collectivities can choose to be more or less reflexive

INDIVIDUAL & COLLECTIVE CHANGE

Giddens notes that Touraine's analysis can be applied to soc mvmts & soc change as well as to individuals & individual change

Each of us lives in our own field of action, which is similar to CW Mills' concept of biography in relation to his concept of the sociological imagination

While CW Mills notes that our biography always takes place w/in the context of history, Touraine focuses on historicity, noting that the difference btwn actual history & what we believe it to be is significant

Individuals are rational & often have rational goals & objectives

As symbolic interactionists, social psychologists, et al note, we are shaped / created, some say over determined by our social interactions

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Outline on the Developmental Stages of Soc Mvmts

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- Supplement: The 8 Stages of Successful Soc Mvmts

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- Supplement: The 5 Stages of Soc Mvmts

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INTRODUCTION

Soc mvmts are not spontaneous events

According to Bill Moyer, successful social mvmts develop & grow in stages & knowing this schema helps us not only to plan soc mvmts, it helps to overcome a sense of failure & powerlessness that we often feel -- the sense that we are always losing

We don't criticize a sophomore in college because she hasn't graduated from college; similarly, soc mvmts are not unsuccessful just because they haven't met their objectives yet

Mvmts build toward their goals over time, building on a series of phases

Moyer's concept is important because it combats one of the key weapons of the status quo, which seeks to continually make its opponents feel powerless

Each stage contains some, but not all of the causal preconditions for the succeeding stage

No stage can occur before the prior stages have been achieved, but some of the stages may occur out of order or occur simultaneously

Progression is never inevitable because of unique contingencies for each stage

Alternative developments can derail the developmental process

Often, govts will use an external war to restrain internal mvmts

As a soc mvmt ages, it goes through the developmental stages of:

1. Normal times
2. Emergence
3. Increasing tensions
4. Coalescence

5. Ripening conditions
6. Take-off
7. Organization
8. Identity crisis

9. Bureaucratization
10. Winning majority opinion
11. Success:
12. Institutionalization

13. Continuing the struggle
14. Decline
15. Revitalization .... or
16. Death

1. NORMAL TIMES

During normal times the public is unaware of the problem & supports the power holders w/ perhaps only 10 - 15% of the public supporting change

For Moyer, during normal times there are still critical social problem which exist & violate widely held values

The difference btwn normal times & any other stage in a soc mvmt's existence may only be the extent to which there is any precipitating or attention getting event, & the extent to which people are aware of the problem

2. EMERGENCE

Emergence occurs in a soc mvmt when an aggregate of people come together & recognize themselves as a group w/ a social activism related goal

A soc mvmt have take years or even decades to emerge

The emergence of a soc mvmt may occur as the result of an organizational meeting, a protest, in response to a govt action, as one person's idea, etc.

The birth of a soc mvmt may not occur, i.e. the mvmt may end before it actually begins

If a soc mvmt does survive it's early formation, it begins to coalesce,

Preliminary Stage of Social Unrest

The goals of the soc mvmt during emergence is to build organizations, vision, & strategy, document problems & power holders’ roles, & become informed.

At the emergence stage only a few people are concerned because the problem is essential 'hidden' or unknown

At the emergence stage, the general public is unaware of the critical social problem which is of concern to the early social mvmt activists

Whatever soc mvmt there is at this point uses official channels, & demonstrations are small & rare

When a soc mvmt is emerging the power holders chief goal is to keep issue off social & political agenda

3. INCREASING TENSIONS

The increasing tension stage can be seen as as a preliminary stage of social unrest in that more people are becoming aware of the problem & are nearly agitated enough to do something, anything about it, esp if given the opportunity

The public is still unaware of issue & supports status quo w/ only 15 - 20% of the public supporting change

During the times of increasing tensions, efforts to change the social problem of concern to the soc mvmt activists should demonstrate the failure of official remedies

The demonstration of the failure of institutionalized / traditional remedies shows how entrenched the problem is & demonstrates the failure of institutions to solve it

The soc mvmt uses official systems to prove the soc problem violates widely held values

A variety of small & scattered opposition groups should do the research, & educate others

To address the soc problem of concern to the soc mvmt, official mechanisms such as hearings, the courts, & the legislature are used

If official mechanisms work, the problem is resolved

But often, the official approaches don't work & so increasing tensions may lead to the coalescence of the soc mvmt

It is likely that a new wave of grassroots opposition will begin & confront the soc mvmt

The power holders' chief goal is to keep issues off social & political agenda & maintain

There is routine bureaucratic functioning to stifle opposition as in a regulatory agencies failure to act in relation to a complaint

The goals of a soc mvmt during the increasing tension stage might be to prove & document the failure of official institutions & power holders to uphold public trust & values

The goals of a soc mvmt during the increasing tension stage might be to begin legal cases to establish legal & moral basis for opposition

The goals of a soc mvmt during the increasing tension stage might be to build opposition organizations, leadership, & expertise

4. COALESCENCE

A soc mvmt begins to coalesce when soc mvmt activists create enough interest & / or when tensions increase enough to motivate people to compromise individual interests & come together as a group

5. RIPENING CONDITIONS

As conditions ripen, there is an increasing recognition by the public of the problem & its victims

The public is still unaware of the problem & supports the power holders w/ 20 - 30% oppose official policies

Pre-existing institutions & networks such as churches, peace & justice organizations begin to lend their support

As the mvmt becomes more powerful tensions build & there is rising grassroots discontent w/ conditions, institutions, power holders, & "professional opposition organizations" such as large lobbying groups

A symptom of the ripening stage condition is that upsetting events occur, including ones which "personify" the problem.

Many of the players in & around the soc mvmt believe that perceived or real conditions are worsening

In the soc mvmt, grassroots groups grow in number & size

Small nonviolent actions begin.

Parts of progressive community won over, & more pre-existing networks join the new cause

Power holders still favor existing policies & control official decision making channels

A goal of the soc mvmt in the ripening conditions stage is to educate progressive community & to win them over to the cause

A goal of the soc mvmt in the ripening conditions stage is to prepare the grassroots for a new soc mvmt

A goal of the soc mvmt in the ripening conditions stage is to organize & engage in more local nonviolent actions.

6. TAKE-OFF

A catalytic "trigger" event, a precipitating event occurs that starkly & clearly conveys the problem to the public

The public becomes highly aware of problem & 40 - 60% of the population oppose official policies, but not all of these people become active

Examples of soc mvmt related precipitating events include the killing of Matthew Shepard in 2000; the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986; the 1960s publication of Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring

When soc mvmts take-off, they build on the groundwork of the earlier stages, & dramatic nonviolent actions & campaigns are launched

Activities such as nonviolent actions & campaigns show how the problem violates widely held values

The problem is finally put on "society's agenda"

During the take-off stage, the soc mvmt responds to the trigger event by holding large rallies, demonstrations, & nonviolent actions

During the take-off stage, a new "movement organization" is created, characterized by informal organizational style

A take-off soc mvmt has energy & hopes for fast change

"Professional opposition organizations" sometimes oppose "rebel" activities

Power holders are shocked by new opposition & publicity

When power holders fail to keep the issue off the social agenda, they often reassert the official line, & attempt to discredit the opposition

A goal of a soc mvmt in the take-off stage is to put issue on social agenda & create a new grassroots movement

A goal of a soc mvmt in the take-off stage is to alert, educate & win public opinion

A goal of a soc mvmt in the take-off stage is to legitimize the mvmt by emphasizing & upholding widely held societal values

	7. ORGANIZATION
	After a soc mvmt takes off, either the mvmt organizes or becomes so chaotic as to become dysfunctional
	During the org stage the soc mvmt must invest precious resources from more direct forms of soc action to those more administrative tasks of organization
	In the org stage the soc mvmt moves from informal org to formal org
	The org stage may be painful for the org as new types of leaders & activists must take over some of the reigns of power
	New leaders & activists in the org stage must be more administratively oriented, & may be relatively unaware of the original aim of the soc mvmt
	Furthermore, during the org stage, the original charismatic leaders of the mvmt may be displaced by administrators who have little knowledge or interest in the mvmt goals by professional mvmt leadership
	The new professional mvmt leadership may care & know of the issues involved but move the soc mvmt from one that runs almost totally on the charisma & energy of the early activists in the mvmt to one that embraces professional tactics such a lobbyists, marketers, managers, consultants, etc.
	8. IDENTITY CRISIS
	An identity crisis in a soc mvmt is often experienced as a sense of failure & powerlessness
	An identity crisis in a soc mvmt may also be related to the increased organization of the soc mvmt as a result of the efforts of the org stage because people may feel that the mvmt is more about organization & administration than about the original issues of the mvmt
	An identity crisis in a soc mvmt may also be related to alliances formed w/ other soc mvmts & players in the soc mvmt env because activists & members may feel the soc mvmt has compromised too much, i.e. has become coopted
	See Also: Co-optation as Resistance to Soc Mvmts
	Those who joined the mvmt earlier expect rapid success & when this doesn't happen there is often hopelessness & burn out
	To some members it seems that the organization & identity crisis of the mvmt is the end of the mvmt; in fact, it is now that the real work begin
	Mvmt membership may go down at demonstrations; there may be less media coverage, & the long range goals not met
	Unrealistic hopes of quick success are unmet
	The original members may see the "naive citizens'" activities as gaining prominence in mvmt
	Many activists despair, burn out, & drop out & the "negative rebel” seems to become the norm
	Negative rebels are those in the mvmt who appear to be "for" the mvmt when in fact they lobby "against" the mvmt's goals under the rationale that the goals are too radical & / or cannot be achieved
	Power holders & the media claim that mvmt has failed, discredit the mvmt by highlighting & encouraging "negative rebel" activities, sometimes through agents provocateurs
	The public may become alienated by the negative rebel
	There is the risk of the mvmt becoming a subcultural sect that is isolated & ineffective
	A goal of a soc mvmt in the identity crisis stage is to recognize movement progress & success
	A goal of a soc mvmt in the identity crisis stage is to counter "negative rebel" tendencies
	A goal of a soc mvmt in the identity crisis stage is to recognize that the mvmt is nearing maturity & pursue goals appropriate to that stage
	9. BUREAUCRATIZATION
	Bureaucratization occurs when the mvmt advances the organization stage to an even higher degree bringing in more professionals, consultants, lobbyists, marketers, strategists, etc.
	Prophets displace agitators as the principal leaders & are, later in the same stage, displaced by reformers
	Reformers & prophets place second fiddle to the statesmen & stateswomen who are the masters of strategy
	10. WINNING MAJORITY PUBLIC OPINION
	In the winning majority public opinion stage, the mvmt deepens & broadens
	60 - 75% of the public oppose official policies, but many fear alternatives
	The mvmt finds ways to involve citizens & institutions from a broad perspective to address the problems of concern to the soc mvmt
	Growing public opposition puts the problem on the political agenda; the political price that some powerholders have to pay to maintain their policies grows to become an untenable liability
	The consensus of the powerholders on this issue fractures, leading to proposals from the powerholders for change
	When the powerholders begin to assent to the majority public opinion, frequently their proposals for change are merely for cosmetic change
	The majority of the public is now more concerned about the problem & less concerned about the mvmt's proposed change
	Often there is a new catalytic event which re-enacts the events seen in the take-off stage
	The mvmt transforms from protest in crisis to long term struggle w/ powerholders to win public majority to oppose official policies & consider positive alternatives
	The mvmt broadens its analysis & forms of analysis
	Many new groups involved in large scale education & involvement
	Official channels are used w/ some success
	The mvmt engages in nonviolent actions at key times & places
	The mvmt may experience many subgoals & mvmts
	The mvmt promotes alternatives, including a paradigm shift
	Powerholders try to discredit & disrupt the mvmt & create a public fear of the alternatives
	Opposition grps promote bogus reforms & create crises to scare the public
	Powerholders begin to split
	Support for alternatives is increasing
	Backlash can occur & counter mvmts may form
	A goal of a soc mvmt in the win the majority stage is to keep issue on social agenda
	A goal of a soc mvmt in the win the majority stage is to win over & involve majority of the public
	A goal of a soc mvmt in the win the majority stage is to activists become committed to the long haul

	11. SUCCESS: ACCOMPLISHING ALTERNATIVES
	In the success stage, the majority now opposes current policies & no longer fears the alternative
	Many powerholders split off & change positions
	The powerholders try to make minimal reforms, while the mvmt demands real social change
	The mvmt finally achieves one or more of its demands
	The struggle shifts from opposing official policies to choosing alternatives
	It becomes more costly for powerholders to continue the old policies than to adopt new ones
	There are more "re-trigger" events
	The mvmt counters the powerholders’ bogus alternatives
	Broad based opposition demands change
	The mvmt continues nonviolent action, where appropriate
	The powerholders change, & central, inflexible powerholders become increasingly isolated
	The central powerholders try their last gambits, then they have to change policies, & have the policies defeated by vote, or lose office
	The public majority demands for change are bigger than its fears of the alternatives
	The majority no longer believes the powerholders’ justifications of old policies & critiques of alternatives
	A goal of a soc mvmt in the success stage is to recognize mvmt's success & celebrate, follow up on the demands won, raise larger issues, focus on other demands that are in various stages, & propose better alternatives & a true paradigm shift
	A goal of a soc mvmt in the success stage is to create ongoing empowered activists & orgs to achieve other goals
	12. INSTITUTIONALIZATION
	The movement becomes an organic part of society
	Statespeople become administrators who focus on keeping the system working
	The goals of the mvmt, & the social relationships become an integral, necessary part of society as seen in the labor, civil rights, & women's mvmts
	13. CONTINUING THE STRUGGLE
	The labor, civil rights, & women's mvmts have a particular focus on maintaining the strength & effectiveness of their mvmts & while they have achieved many goals, they still believe they have a long way to go
	Our struggle to achieve a more humane & democratic society continues indefinitely
	Continuation of the struggle means defending the gains won as well as pursuing new ones
	Building on this success, mvmts may return to stage one & struggle for the next change
	It is key that the long term impact of the mvmt surpasses the achievement of its specific demands
	The mvmt takes on a "reform" role to protect & extend successes
	The mvmt attempts to minimize losses due to backlash, & circles back to the subgoals & issues that emerged in earlier stages
	The long term focus is to achieve a paradigm shift
	The powerholders adapt to new policies & conditions, claim the mvmt's successes as their own, & try to roll back mvmt successes by not carrying out agreements or continuing old policies in secret
	The public adopts new consensus & status quo
	The new public beliefs & expectations are carried over to future situations
	A goal of a soc mvmt in the continuing the struggle stage is to retain & extend successes
	A goal of a soc mvmt in the continuing the struggle stage is to continue the struggle by promoting other issues & a paradigm shift
	.A goal of a soc mvmt in the continuing the struggle stage is to recognize & celebrate success
	A goal of a soc mvmt in the continuing the struggle stage is to build ongoing grassroots organizations & power bases
	14. DECLINE
	Most mvmts do experience some decline during many stages but esp after they have experienced success
	Members feel they have sacrificed enough & w/draw from the mvmt
	Mvmt "Angels," i.e. those who support the mvmt w/ significant money & resources may move on to other causes
	15. DEATH
	Many mvmts fail in the early stages of their struggles but often activists & members shift to other causes or mvmts
	To date no significant soc mvmt of the last century has failed, but perhaps the labor mvmt is the closest to this w/ a membership that is smaller, % wise, than it has been in 100 yrs
	16. REVITALIZATION
	The mature soc mvmts of labor, civil rights, & women continue to struggle to revitalize & reinvent themselves by focusing on both their traditional issues, issues that are central to their original goals but have never been fulfilled, as well as issues that are clearly tangential to their original goals
	An example of revitalization in the labor mvmt is seen is their recent efforts to organize low wage wkrs in the hotel industry, farm wkrs, & others
	The labor mvmt's traditional constituency was mid level pay wkrs in basic industries such as autos, steel, manufacturing, coal, etc.
	FACTORS AFFECTING THE DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES OF SOC MVMTS
	The primary internal contingencies that affect soc mvmts include the decisions made by the leaders & the actions taken by the adherents
	The primary external contingencies that affect soc mvmts include opposition from other orgs, support from other orgs, the public images fostered by the media, "random" precipitating events, & the general social & political culture & structure of the society
Link	The Figure: The Life Cycle Model of Social Movement Development depicts three common stages that social movements often experience, the preliminary, popular, & organizational stages before they reach maturity in the institutional stage

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Figure: The Life Cycle Model of Social Movement Development

Stage I

Stage II

Stage III

Stage IV

             External Contingencies
                                       \/
Preliminary Stage -------->
                                       /\
             Internal Contingencies

             External Contingencies
                                       \/
Popular Stage ------------>
                                       /\
             Internal Contingencies

             External Contingencies
                                           \/
Organizational Stage ------->
                                           /\
             Internal Contingencies

Instituitonal Stage

The Figure: The Life Cycle Model of Social Movement Development depicts three common stages that social movments often experience, the preliminary, popular, & organizational stages befoire they reach maturity in the institutional stage

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Outline on the Knowledge Class

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The knowledge class ( KC ), often called the intellignesia, is defined as a class of people because they have a particular, common relationship to the means of production in that they all engage in the production, & to some extent the distribution of knowledge in its broadest sense

The KC often includes many groups, including:

1. professors
2. researchers
3. teachers
4. artists
5. writers

6. media reporters / writers
7. performers
8. govt officials
9. politicians
10. communications specialists, & others

Some people in the media & the humanities are considered to be in the KC but there is some debate over whether those who produce merely for the goal of entertainment should be included or not

The KC operates in the ed / academic, govt / pol sys, & the media / communications social structures though there may be some producing knowledge to a limited extent in other social structures such as the economy, the military, etc.

The KC is considered to be important in relationship to the development of society for several reasons including the expansion of rationality, the acceptance of 'deviance' in the sociological sense, providing leadership, providing strategy, providing precipitating ideas, etc.

Many but not all theories of social dev hold that society is becoming increasingly rational & free & it is sometimes the labor of the KC that produces these rational ideas leading to greater democracy

That is not to say that all ideas & products of the KC lead to new or rational ideas, but it appears that some do

The KC is large & growing & is thus a landmark feature of the Post Industrial Era

The KC has no unifying ideology because there are many conflicting subgrps as seen in the fragmentation of the sciences & the conflicting ideologies / paradigms

While much of the KC has a common relationship to the means of production, they have never exhibited class consciousness, i.e. supported policies that promoted their own interests

The KC has high level of influence in society & since one of the major qualities of the emerging Post Industrial Society is information, it is likely that their influence will continue to increase

THE KC & SOC MVMTS

The KC appears as a strong base to many soc mvmts

While the KC is a strong resource to various soc mvmts, they are often not part of the committed membership in that they may support some aspects of a soc mvmt, but not others

The KC has more allegiance to what they perceive as academic commitment to the truth than they do to any single cause

PEOPLE POWER VS PROFESSIONAL POWER

Early soc mvmts were powered by masses of people

Today soc mvmts have a "head" in that they are highly organized/efficient orgs w/ a profl leadership

Profls can create the impression of a large soc mvmt because they know how to manipulate people, the press, i.e. impressions

All of this professionalization may be seen as the rationalization of soc mvmts

Professionalization in soc mvmt has made it difficult to distinguish btwn lobbyists, pressure groups, & soc mvmts as their qualities are highly intermixed

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Outline on Mannheim on the Intelligentsia

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THE INTELLIGENTSIA IS AN AGGREGATE OF INTELLECTUALS THAT HAS THE CAPACITY TO EMBRACE MULTIPLE VIEW PTS

The intelligentsia is the intellectual aggregate w/in a society, where aggregate implies the isolation or non unity of the grp, as compared to the unity of a class

The more common meaning of intelligentsia is the class or body of persons representing, or professing to represent, the superior intelligence or enlightened opinions of the country or public or political questions

The intelligentsia in general uses is a grp of persons professing or affecting special enlightenment in views or principle

Only the comparatively uncommitted intelligentsia is likely to approach nearer the truth

From its special & particularly favorable vantage pt, it could, & should, elaborate a 'total perspective' which would synthesize the conflicting contemporary worldviews & thereby neutralize, & to some extent overcome their one sidedness

The dynamic synthesis of the intelligentsia's vantage pt of multiple / total perspective is the nearest possible approximation to a truly realistic attitude, w/in the limitations imposed in a given epoch

The intelligentsia is a classless aggregation which became a satellite of one or another of the existing classes & parties

The intelligentsia is not a class because they:
a. have no common interests
b. cannot form a separate party
c. are incapable of common & concerted action
d. do not have a common relationship to the means of production, e.g. profs, scientists, writers, etc.

The intelligentsia are ideologues of this or that class but never speak for themselves

The intelligentsia was btwn, but not above, the classes

Intellectuals are not a superior stratum nor does their peculiar social position assure any grater validity for their perspectives

Their position does enable them to do something others cannot do which is ability to view the problems of the day in several perspectives

THE INTELLIGENTSIA IS USUALLY PARTISAN

From case to case, the intellectual may act as a partisan & align her or himself w/ a class

For Mannheim, the intelligentsia has the the potential to adopt a variety of perspectives, but that does not mean they will

The intelligentsia are no better able to overcome their own class interests than other gps

Thus intelligentsia are 'relatively unattached' in that they may or may not be unattached from their or other grps interests

Intelligentsia do not react as uniformly to a situation as, for example, workers do

Certain types of intellectuals have a maximum opportunity to test & employ the socially available vistas & to experience their inconsistencies

THE INTELLIGENTSIA IS NOT A CLASS & IS NOT ORGANICALLY ATTACHED TO ANY CLASS

When Mannheim describes the intelligentsia as 'relatively unattached' he is emphasizing the fact that after the Mid Ages, the intelligentsia became increasingly emancipated from the upper class & yet were unaligned w/ the lower classes

Salons & coffee houses were the first institutions where intellectuals were discernibly free & detached

Salons enabled people of different social backgrounds, views, stations, & allegiances to mingle, & entry to the salon required social acceptability & was in that sense restricted

The coffee houses were open to all & thus became the first centers of opinion in a partially democratized society

Membership & participation were not now determined by rank & family but by intellectual interests & shared opinions

In the modern era, some intellectuals are able to escape a relationship of dependence on local habitat, institution, class, & party

The detachment of the intelligentsia is not absolute in that some writers, some scholars, some scientists 'enjoy' a relatively uncommitted position

The non committal intelligentsia has positive & negative aspects in that while the intellectual has a potentially wider view, & is potentially less blinded by particular interests & commitments, he lack the restraints & experience of real life

The intelligentsia is more inclined to generate ideas w/o testing them in practice

The intelligentsia loses touch w/ reality & forgets that a main purpose of thought is the orientation of action

BUREAUCRATIZATION / RATIONALIZATION POSES THREATS TO THE INTELLIGENTSIA

Bureaucratization of all aspects of social life, as delineated by Weber, applied not only to wkrs, but also to scientists & scholars

For Mannheim, the dangers of bureaucratization / rationalization include that:

a. the intelligentsia is being separated from the means of production

b. the intelligentsia is subject to specialization which narrows the compass of thought & activity, discourages the will to dissent & innovate

c. more research, thinking, & scholarship is now carried out in the contest of large orgs, private & governmental

Other features of the bureaucratization of the intelligentsia include the:

a. commercialization of research

b. elimination of the security of freedom of intellectual exploration via the elimination of tenure

c. development of intellectual property rights which are used to make ideas the property of corps

d. consolidation of the publishing industry

The bureaucratic / rationalistic control of the intelligentsia is creating what Mannheim called intellectual desiccation

THE ROLE OF THE INTELLIGENTSIA IS POWERLESS YET INFLUENTIAL

The intelligentsia retains its role of diagnostic, constructive, & critical thinking

The intelligentsia's role does not follow naturally from its social position

It is only by a conscious & deliberate commitment that the intellectual can prevent her affiliation w/ parties & orgs from resulting in self abnegation

Intellectuals are powerless & yet they play an influential role in the preservation of freedom & the reconstruction of society

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Outline on Mannheim on Reconstruction

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MODERNIZATION MADE IT INCREASING POSSIBLE FOR A SMALL GRP TO CONTROL SOCIETY

Mannheim wrote btwn the decades of the Russian Rev (1917) & the rise & fall of Nazism 1947

Following Weber, Mannheim believed that even in democratic nations, the growing bureaucratization of crucial sectors of society was an inexorable process

Bureaucratization undermined democracy because it separated the people from the means of power & brought about the dominance of small minorities under capitalism as well as communism

In the 1700s & the early 1800s, democracy was based on the military power of the people

In the 1900s the growing scale & concentration of military tech made it possible for large numbers of people to be intimidated, terrorized, & killed by efficient, large scale means of destruction under the control of dominant minorities

The military significance of small arms, barricades, & population size diminished by the power of the people declined accordingly

VISA VIE WEBER, BUREAUCRACY ALLOWS FOR A CONCENTRATION OF POWER

Bureaucracies strive for functional rationality & suppress all forms of substantial rationality

Functional, aka formal rationality requires the subordination of one's mind & self to a thing or mechanical process

Formal rat is the use of organizational structures (usually bureaucracy) which constrain people to act in a rational manner in their choice of means to ends

Substantive rationality requires that people strive to master a situation & adapt it to their conscious ends

Substantive rationality is the dominance of norms & values in the rational choice of means to ends