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: March 2012
Cesar Chavez 2012
I’m typing from my office today, March 30, but campus is quiet in honor of Cesar Chavez Day. Below is a repost on the occasion: On my campus, we commemorated Cesar Chavez Day early, yesterday, rather than March 31 (his … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Cesar Chavez, Fred Korematsu, holidays, labor, Latinos, Martin Luther King
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Protest makes it harder to ignore injustice
Full Disclosure: I started wearing hoodies in high school and they’ve been a staple part of my wardrobe since. That’s not the only reason, of course, I was disturbed when Geraldo Rivera suggested that Trayvon Martin’s attire was responsible for … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Florida, George Zimmerman, Geraldo Rivera, gun control, guns, hoodies, killing, Michael Bloomberg, police, stand your ground, Trayvon Martin
3 Comments
The truth in fiction
Fiction, labeled as fiction, can be every bit as powerful as good journalism for stirring the imagination and mobilizing support. In yesterday’s post, I cited Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin as example, but obviously there are many many more. … Continue reading
George Clooney does politics outdoors–and indoors
George Clooney was arrested this morning in Washington, DC, protesting outside Sudan’s embassy. They trespassed to call attention to President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir’s military blockade preventing food and humanitarian aid from getting to people on the border of Sudan and … Continue reading
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Tagged arrests, celebrities, Congress, Darfur, Enough Project, NAACP, police, publicitly, Sudan
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Portland and the future of social movements
I’m excited to participate in a discussion on the future of social movements and citizen power tomorrow night. Oregon Humanities is sponsoring the event at the Mission Theater and Pub, 1624 NW Glisan St., Portland, part of its “Think and … Continue reading
Who’ll Occupy education?
Protests against tuition hikes and program in public education and service cuts have become more frequent and more intense as state budgets have tightened. It’s awful everywhere–and worse in California (e.g. ), where an old tradition of the state supporting … Continue reading
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Tagged California, education, Jerry Brown, Medicaid, Occupy, Sacramento, state legislature, tuition, university
6 Comments
Occupy education: uniting university student protest
University and college student protest returned yesterday (here and here). Across California, at UC, Cal State, and even some high school campuses, students protested tuition hikes and program cuts, even as schools are raising tuition and cutting programs everywhere. Now, … Continue reading
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Tagged California, education, inequality, Occupy, Rick Santorum, university
15 Comments
When the Snowe flies: Tea Party overreach?
When Senator Olympia Snowe, a moderate Republican, announced that she would not run for reelection, she demonstrated another of the difficult challenges that movement activists face when they engage electoral politics. Senator Snowe would cut deals with the Democratic majority, … Continue reading
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Tagged elections, Jim DeMint, Occupy, Olympia Snowe, Orrin Hatch, primaries, Republicans, Richard Lugar, RINO, tea party
3 Comments
