Every day around the world there are dozens of protests both large and small. Most groups engage the local police, some get media attention, and a few are successful. Who are these people? What do they want? What do they do to get it? What effects do they ultimately have on our world?

In this lively and compelling book, James Jasper, an international expert on the cultural and emotional dimensions of social movements, shows that we cannot answer these questions until we bring culture squarely into the frame. Drawing on a broad range of examples, from the Women's Movement to Occupy and the Arab Spring, Jasper makes clear that we need to appreciate fully the protestors' points of view - in other words their cultural meanings and feelings - as well as the meanings held by other strategic players, such as the police, media, politicians, and intellectuals. In fact, we can't understand our world at all without grasping the profound impact of protest.

Protest: A Cultural Introduction to Social Movements is an invaluable and insightful contribution to understanding social movements for beginners and experts alike.

James M. Jasper teaches sociology at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

List of tables and sidebars
Preface
Introduction: Doing Protest
Chapter 1: What Are Social Movements?
Chapter 2: Meaning
Chapter 3: Infrastructure
Chapter 4: Recruiting
Chapter 5: Sustaining
Chapter 6: Deciding
Chapter 7: Engaging Other Players
Chapter 8: Winning, Losing, and More
Conclusion: Humans as Heroes
References and Recommended Readings