Author Archives: David S. Meyer

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About David S. Meyer

Author and professor of Sociology and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine

Risk, Repression, and Response in Russia

Tens of thousands of Russians took to the streets in Moscow, calling for the ouster of President Vladimir Putin, and demanding new elections. This is just days after President Putin raised the costs of protesting by announcing fines of up … Continue reading

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Froze and reversed the nuclear arms race?

Thirty years ago today, one million people marched in the streets of New York City to protest the nuclear arms race in general and the policies of Ronald Reagan in particular.  Organized around a “nuclear freeze” proposal, the demonstration was … Continue reading

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A tactic is a tactic

Greenpeace is innovating new tactics, an excellent piece by Kim Murphy in the weekend LA Times reports, developing a style of performance that is  a departure from blocking whalers in port.  We’ll come back to this, but first let’s talk … Continue reading

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Note: we’re protesting (tokes and togs)

Sometimes you have to remind people that what you’re doing is against the rules. Yesterday advocates for legal access to medical marijuana rallied in downtown Los Angeles to protest a threatened crackdown on marijuana dispensaries.  People with a prescription for … Continue reading

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After Wisconsin and the electoral trap

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s victory in Tuesday’s recall election isn’t a happy outcome for the activists who have spent nearly a year and a half going after him.  It’s particularly troubling for labor organizers, who will face subsequent challenges with … Continue reading

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University of California or University in California

The future of the University of California is even more daunting for organizers than the troubled present. The problem: Students, faculty, and the citizens of California have interests in both access to the University system and maintaining some degree of … Continue reading

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Same sex marriage and tipping points–new evidence

General Colin Powell, who has served in high positions in Republican administrations, has announced that he supports same sex marriage. Following President Obama’s expression of support for gay marriage, Gen. Powell’s declaration is additional evidence that the president’s statement represented … Continue reading

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Social movement society conference

I’m happy to be at the University of Ottawa, participating in a workshop considering “the social movement society.” The idea is from a book Sid Tarrow and I edited nearly fifteen years ago.  We argued that social movements were becoming … Continue reading

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Occupy NATO (in Chicago)

When the leaders of the Western world assemble for a NATO summit meeting, the world press follows and activists see an opportunity to project their messages to a broader audience.  Chicago was the site not only for the meeting, but … Continue reading

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Movements, Presidential rhetoric, and tipping points

The NAACP’s decision to support marriage equality explicitly is early evidence that President Obama’s announcement about same sex marriage was a tipping point in American politics and opinion. As we discussed, President Obama’s disclosure, in a soft interview, about how … Continue reading

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