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: January 2012
Korematsu Day (2nd)
Today is the second Korematsu Day. Reposted below is last year’s entry. It’s also a time to recognize the passing of Gordon Hirabayashi (this past January), another critically important resister of Japanese internment. After the war, Hirabayashi invested in his … Continue reading
Occupy Oakland and the militant wing of a movement
Occupy, like all large and successful social movements, includes people with a broad range of political viewpoints and a very diverse range of action strategies. While some activists are working to move inside the political system by lobbying or contesting … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged coalitions, elections, flag, institutions, Jean Quan, media, nonviolence, Occupy, Occupy Oakland, police, violence
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Occupy elected office
Is incumbency another word for occupation? Today two self-identified Occupiers announced candidacies for local office in Northern California. Jeff Kravitz, a lawyer who has represented Occupy Sacramento activists, is running for a county board seat. So is Gary Blenner, a … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged elections, Gary Blenner, Jeff Kravitz, Nate Kleinman, Occupy
12 Comments
The Tea Party’s disappointment with the Republican field
In seeking both a powerful advocate or a strong candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, the Tea Partiers are likely to get neither. Elections channel and dilute social movements. This was James Madison’s design, and it works pretty much as … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged elections, Herman Cain, michele bachmann, Newt Gingrich, president, Republican, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul
4 Comments
Roe v. Wade commemorations, 2012
Last year, anti-abortion and abortion rights activists staged demonstrations commemorating (or protesting) the 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade. Below is last year’s post, which ends with the prediction of large demonstrations next year. That’s today. And today: both … Continue reading
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Tagged abortion rights, anti-abortion, DC, elections, John Boehner, March for Life, protest, Republian party, Roe v. Wade, Susan B. Anthony List, Washington
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Remembering the present: Guantanamo protests and a decade of detention
President Obama didn’t keep his campaign promise to close the American prison for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay. Yesterday marked Gitmo’s 10th anniversary. The camp on Cuba, conveniently perhaps outside the jurisdiction of normal legal procedures in the United States, … Continue reading
New Hampshire, the Tea Party, and movement capture
As New Hampshire voters and others try to sift through the mess of small differences among the Republican hopefuls (and as everyone in the rest of the country overinterprets the results) it’s good to take a step back to think … Continue reading
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Tagged abortion, elections, Jon Huntsman, New Hampshire, partis, Ron Paul, tea party
3 Comments
The Tea Party’s Iowa
Protest movements sometimes have perverse effects, hastening outcomes they don’t want. Tuesday’s Republican Iowa caucus has to be scored as a disappointment for the Tea Party, perhaps a sign of its dissolution. The Tea Party, an alliance between populist and … Continue reading
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Tagged caucus, elections, Iowa, michele bachmann, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, perverse effects, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, tea party
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