David S. Meyer
I'm a professor of sociology and political science at the University of California, Irvine. I've been thinking, and writing about, protest politics for almost ever. This site offers comments on contemporary events, informed (I hope) by knowing something about history and about the academic study of social movements.
Monthly Archives: December 2011
Occupy at the Rose Bowl
A march looks a lot like a parade with demands. Occupy the Rose Parade will present a presence–with floats–at the 123rd Tournament of Roses Parade on Monday morning in Pasadena. The parade, patriotic and explicitly non-political, allows cause groups to … Continue reading
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Tagged culture, demonstration, institutionalization, Occupy, organization, parade, Rose Bowl, tea party, tolerance
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Who pays for free speech?
One night some years ago, while rushing out to the store to get milk for my kid (my excuse), I rolled slowly through a stop sign. A police officer stopped and cited me, apologizing as he did so. To prevent … Continue reading
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Is protest contagious?
As the year comes to an end, unexpected and potentially powerful protest movements are appearing in unexpected places, including China, Russia, and Syria, threatening to topple regimes and change the world. Protest movements seem to appear in a spate. Arab … Continue reading
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Tagged 1848, 1989, Arab Spring, contagion, Occupy, protest, Tahrir Square, tea party, Time
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Occupy the Iowa Caucus
Occupy activists are flocking to Des Moines for the new year, in an effort to Occupy Iowa’s Republican caucuses? Why? Certainly the Occupy approach has little appeal for the Republican caucus-goers, who veer more toward religious conservatism. But Occupiers know … Continue reading
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Tagged caucus, elections, Iowa, media, michele bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Occupy, Ron Paul
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Travel to Israel
I I’m very pleased to be participating in the Seventh Annual Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Conference at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. I hope to learn more about about lots of things, including the tent protests in Israel earlier this year. I’ve … Continue reading
Occupy to office
Tracy Postert’s protests with Occupy Wall Street led rather directly to a job inside nearby. Ms. Postert, a biochemist with a Ph.D., had suffered bouts of unemployment over the years, and had a hard time finding another job in science. … Continue reading
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Tagged investment, jobs, Occupy Wall Street, protest, Warren Buffett
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Pandering to Occupy
Successful social movements spark the imagination and stiffen the spine of mainstream politicians, especially ambitious or desperate politicians. Occupy has taken a lot of flak for failing to generate concrete policy proposals, but I’ve always thought that others will do … Continue reading
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Tagged amendment, inequality, influence, Kansas, Obama, Occupy, policy, speech, Ted Deutch
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Activist lives
Courageous or crazed, activists tip into our awareness in the context of a moment and a movement. But when the media spotlight moves and the placards disappear, the activism often continues. Here are two new projects that put the ebbs … Continue reading
