Podcast appearances and mentions of David S Meyer

Social movements – and the protests they give rise to – have happened on American soil since before the country's establishment as an independent nation. On Dec. 16, 1773, American colonists demonstrated their dissatisfaction with British tax policies by dressing in disguise and dumping 342 chests – around 92,000 pounds – of valuable tea into Boston Harbor. Originally known as “the Destruction of the Tea,” the event was later nicknamed “the Boston Tea Party.” In this century, we've seen part of that moniker repurposed by the tea party movement, a group interested in lower taxes and decreased government spending who staged protests in over 750 U.S. cities on April 15, 2009 – Tax Day. Social injustices, environmental issues and political concerns are just a few of myriad reasons people have organized protests over the course of history. David S. Meyer, UC Irvine professor of sociology, political science, and urban planning and public policy, is one of the nation's top scholars on social movements. In this episode of The UC Irvine Podcast, Meyer leans on years of study to put today's realities into historical perspective, analyze the current state of polarization and share what he's learned about how action can spark change. “Downpour,” the music for this episode, was provided by Patiño via the audio library in YouTube Studio.

In anticipation of more pro-Palestinian protests, many college administrators rolled out new rules this fall that include getting pre-approval for posting flyers or hosting demonstrations. Brittany is joined by UC Irvine sociology professor David S. Meyer, who studies social movements and public policy, and Chronicle of Higher Education reporter Kate Hidalgo Bellows. They discuss the changes on campuses and how they tie into debates over free speech. Then, Brittany kicks off a new series exploring horror tropes. It's called The Trilogy of Terror. First up: Beelzebub. Brittany invites Travis Stevens and Klaus Yoder, historians and co-hosts of the podcast Seven Heads, Ten Horns: The History of the Devil, to talk about the symbology of the devil and how representations of him in horror movies have changed over time.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Students across the country, including in Oregon, have escalated their protests in recent weeks of Israel’s war in Gaza. Many of the student protesters have been calling for their colleges and universities to divest from companies that do business with Israel. Similar calls were made in the 1970s and 80s as part of the effort to end apartheid in South Africa. But how effective have those divestment campaigns been in affecting change? And how realistic is it for educational institutions to modify complex financial portfolios to end investments in specific companies?   Joining us to answer those questions and add some historical context is David S. Meyer, a professor of sociology at the University of California, Irvine, and the author of “How Social Movements (Sometimes) Matter.”

This week we briefly juxtapose the original Minneapolis Police Department report on the death of George Floyd with the facts of the case we now know. Using a sociological lens, we consider how such a technically accurate, but fundamentally inaccurate report could be released–and what it says about the sources of organizational misconduct. And, I recently spoke with Dr. Eulalie Laschever of DePaul University about her recent paper titled “Growth and Decline of Opposing Movements: Gun Control and Gun Rights, 1945-2015.” The paper is to be published in the journal Mobilization, and is co-authored by David S. Meyer. Segment 1 -- Eulalie Laschever on “Growth and Decline of Opposing Movements: Gun Control and Gun Rights, 1945-2015.” Segment 2 -- How could the original Minneapolis Police Department report on the death George Floyd and the known facts of the case be so different? Answers why, with chilling implications

This week we have have part two of our interview with David S. Meyer, professor of sociology at University of California Irvine. We talk about the polarization of our culture, the American activist experience versus that in other parts of the world like New Zealand, and the dilemma of recognizing victories but always pushing for more. "You have to take those hard won victories that are so much less than you want. You have to claim credit for them and you accept your victories gracelessly and demand more ... There's a challenge of recognizing that victories have been won and a challenge of recognizing that they're not enough at the same time."

We're joined this week by David S. Meyer, professor of sociology at University of California Irvine. We talk about how activists lay the groundwork for mass movements, a letter to an aspiring young activist, the commonalities between movements ranging from gay rights and Black Lives Matter to the climate movement, and how simply raising your voice about the issues you care about can send a signal to "stiffen the spines of allies who see the prospect of doing something."

Questions remain unanswered at UCI Irvine where the Chancellor has not disclosed what led him to initially take back the deanship offer to Duke Prof. Erwin Chemerinsky. The show features highlights from an emergency UCI faculty senate meeting of 20 September 2007 as well as an interview with Sociology Prof. David S. Meyer, who seeks more answers to what Chancellor Michael V. Drake's actions. Interviewer: Daniel C. Tsang