Open AccessWhen do Opportunities become Trade-offs for Social Movement Organizations? Assessing Media Impact in the Global Human Rights Movement
Author(s) -
Kathleen Rodgers
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
canadian journal of sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.357
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1710-1123
pISSN - 0318-6431
DOI - 10.29173/cjs1697
Subject(s) - social movement , isomorphism (crystallography) , amnesty , human rights , social media , movement (music) , sociology , order (exchange) , public relations , human rights movement , face (sociological concept) , political science , political economy , business , law , social science , international human rights law , politics , philosophy , chemistry , finance , crystal structure , right to property , crystallography , aesthetics
This paper explores the dilemmas that social movement organizations face as they seek to conform to institutional norms in order to expand their media influence. In particular, I examine the similarity of strategic decision-making of two key organizations in the Human Rights Movement. The analysis shows how isomorphism occurred as both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch adapted their advocacy efforts and employee job descriptions to the tastes, routines and information demands of the global media. However, I also demonstrate that such pathways are disrupted as organizational values act to mediate the influence of isomorphism on the internal dynamics of organizations. The article also contributes to the growing literature on human rights activism and global social movements more generally.