Premium
Studying Social Movements: Challenges and Opportunities for Participant Observation
Author(s) -
Uldam Julie,
McCurdy Patrick
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
sociology compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 31
ISSN - 1751-9020
DOI - 10.1111/soc4.12081
Subject(s) - participant observation , covert , insider , sociology , social movement , dynamics (music) , perspective (graphical) , movement (music) , key (lock) , social psychology , epistemology , social science , psychology , political science , politics , computer science , law , aesthetics , artificial intelligence , computer security , pedagogy , linguistics , philosophy
The research method of participant observation has long been used by scholars interested in the motivations, dynamics, tactics and strategies of social movements from a movement perspective. Despite participant observation being a common research method, there have been very few efforts to bring together this literature, which has often been spread across disciplines. This makes it difficult to identify the various challenges (and their interrelation) facing participant observers. Consequently, this article first reviews how participant observation roles have been conceptualised in general and then draws specific links to how the method has been used in the study of activism and social movements. In doing so, this article brings together key academic debates on participant observation, which have been considered separately, such as insider/outsider and overt/covert, but not previously been brought together.