Methodological practices in social movement research

Social movement studies have grown enormously in the last few decades, spreading from sociology and political science to other fields of knowledge, as varied as geography, history, anthropology, psychology, economics, law and others. With the growing interest in the field, there has been also an increasing need for methodological guidance for empirical research. This volume addresses this need by introducing the main methods of data collection and data analysis as they have been used in past research on social movements. Unlike other volumes, the book offers a practical, how-to approach and not simply a review of the methodological literature. Each author writes on a method they are very familiar with, having used it extensively in their own work. And each chapter presents specific discussions on every stage of research: from research design to data collection and the use of the information gathered. Throughout, research dilemmas and choices are presented, illustrated, and discussed. The volume offers an essential point of references for anyone undertaking research on social movements.--

Social movement studies and methodological pluralism : an introduction / Donatella della Porta -- The potentials of grounded theory in the study of social movements / Alice Mattoni -- Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) : what it is, what it does, and how it works / Claudius Wagemann -- Triangulation in social movement research / Phillip M. Ayoub, Sophia Wallace, and Chris Zepeda-Millan -- Comparative historical analysis / Daniel P. Ritter -- Historical methodologies : archival research and oral history in social movement research / Lorenzo Bosi and Herbert Reiter -- Participant observation / Philip Balsinger and Alexandre Lambelet -- Field work in the context of violent conflict and authoritarian regimes / Stefan Malthaner -- Discourse and frame analysis : in-depth analysis of qualitative data in social movement research / Lasse Lindekilde -- In-depth interviews / Donatella della Porta -- Life histories / Donatella della Porta -- Focus groups / Donatella della Porta -- Surveying protestors : why and how / Massimiliano Andretta and Donatella della Porta -- Protest event analysis and its offspring / Swen Hutter -- Social network analysis / Manuela Caiani -- Methodological practi…