A Social Psychology of Protest: Individuals in Action

Jacquelien van Stekelenburg · Bert Klandermans

Dec 2023 · Cambridge University Press

About this ebook

Protest is typically rare behavior, yet the first decade of the twenty-first century has been named the era of protest. Successful protests bring masses to the streets, and the emergence of social media has fundamentally changed the process of mobilization. What protests need to be successful is demand (grievances, anger, and indignation), supply (protest organizations), and mobilization (effective communication networks). Motivation to participate can be instrumental, expressive, and identity driven, and politicized collective identity plays an important role in the dynamics of collective action. This volume brings together insights from social psychology, political psychology, sociology, and political science to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of protest participation, particularly to the question of why some people protest while others do not. It is essential reading for scholars interested in the social and political psychology of individuals in action.

About the author

Jacquelien van Stekelenburg is Professor of Social Change and Conflict at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands. With a background in social psychology, she combines a social psychological approach with sociological insights. She has conducted studies on demonstrations, emerging networks, and the micro-foundations of out-migration and mass protests. Her research primarily focuses on moderate and radical protest.

Bert Klandermans is Professor of Applied Social Psychology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He has published extensively on the social psychology of protest, including the classic work The Social Psychology of Protest (1997). In 2009 he received a royal decoration in the Netherlands for his efforts to link science and society. He has also received awards for his contributions to political psychology and sociology of collective behavior and social movements, as well as a prestigious advanced investigator grant from the European Research Council.