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In 1968, Doug McAdam was an aspiring basketball player and occasional anti-war activist when he heard the devastating news: Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated. He pulled over to the side of the road and started bawling. But things only got worse that year. Within months, Bobby Kennedy, who many believed would be the next President of the United States, was also murdered. And when the Democratic National Convention ignored the wishes of primary voters and selected a pro-war candidate, riots broke out on the streets. The nation was gripped by fear, anger, and violence. And yet, the period after the 1968 convention was a period of positive change: an end to the Vietnam War, the passage of the groundbreaking Clean Water Act, and the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade. As an acclaimed sociologist at Stanford, Doug has now spent a lifetime understanding how change of that sort happened. And it turns out that anger — often seen as an emotion that stifles progress — was central to the social transformations of the 1970s. In fact, anger is one of the two central emotions that have driven social change for generations.That is perhaps good news for those who seek change today. The anger, and deep sense of injustice in the world, are palpable; and that feeling crosses the political spectrum, from Tucker Carlson to Bernie Sanders.There was another emotional ingredient in 1968, however, that Doug believes is missing in movements today: hope. You see, anger without hope for change is counterproductive; it leads people to cynicism and even inaction. And despite the killings and riots of 1968, the 1960s were a time of immense hope. People felt that all the tumult was building toward something better. That's not true today. Whether the issue is wage inequality or the climate crisis, most people don't see much hope for change. This is one of the reasons that, despite the fact that we have not seen the violence of the 1960s, Doug believes the present moment to be the most intense crisis he's personally experienced in American history – even more than the tumult of the 1960s! But that does not mean all is lost. Skilled movements through history have found hope in crisis. And it can be done again. This conversation is about a lot of things – the pitfalls of social movements, the evidence on how movements grow, and the challenges of activism in a digital era – but perhaps the most important topic is the question of how we can inspire hope.And, without giving things away, there's a one-word answer: community. This was a fascinating conversation with one of the deepest and most evidence-based thinkers on the question of social change. And many of you contributed to it, by offering questions (including audio recordings) in advance. Let me know what you think, and thanks, as always, for listening. Doug's pioneering study on social ties and activismDoug's book on the Freedom Summer, a historic effort to register Black voters in 1964Music by Moby: Everything That Rises
A Rash of Police Killings Following the Guilty Verdict of George Floyd’s Murderer | Fighting Racism to Bring Democracy to the Nation's Capitol | The Coauthor with Noam Chomsky of Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal: The Political Economy of Saving the Planet backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia facebook.com/ianmastersmedia
Doug McAdam is emeritus professor of Sociology at Stanford University and author or co-author of 18 books and articles on race in the U.S., American politics, and the study of social movements. These include the 2014 book Deeply Divided: Social Movements and Racial Politics in Post-War America, co-authored with Karina Kloos. McAdam places this summer’s protests in the context of the regional shifts since the 1950s within and between the Democratic and Republican parties. Race is the fault line of these movements. The Cold War also makes an appearance, as it did in the earlier conversations with Cedric Johnson. We talk also about the possible role of political polarization in the U.S. in the country’s growing income inequality.
Prof. Doug McAdam traces the root causes of the deep polarization we are experiencing in the United States today. But we don't stop there. We...
Chude Pam Allen is a member of the Bay Area Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement. She coordinates speakers for schools and community groups and has spoken widely about her own experiences. Her writings can be found on their website, www.crmvet.org, which is considered by many veterans to be the best source for information on the Southern Freedom Movement. In 1964 Chude participated in the student movement in Atlanta, Georgia while a white exchange student at Spelman, a historically black college. That summer she was a freedom school teacher in Holly Springs, Mississippi. She is featured in Doug McAdam's book, Freedom Summer and in the award winning film, Freedom on My Mind. After leaving the South, Chude was an organizer of the Women's Liberation Movement, first in New York City and then in San Francisco. She taught anti-racism workshops for both women's liberation groups and the YWCA. She is author of the 1970 classic, Free Space, A Perspective on the Small Group in Women's Liberation and wrote the chapter on woman suffrage for the book, Reluctant Reformers: Racism and Social Reform Movements in the United States. In the mid-seventies she joined Union Women's Alliance to Gain Equality and became editor of their newspaper, UNION WAGE. She is featured in the film, She's Beautiful When She's Angry.
Weekly JourneywithJesus.net postings, read by Dan Clendenin. Essay by Dan Clendenin: *Repentance: "The Entire Life of the Believer"* for Sunday, 1 October 2017; book review by Dan Clendenin: *Deeply Divided: Racial Politics and Social Movements in Postwar America* by Doug McAdam and Karina Kloos (2014); film review by Dan Clendenin: *Saving Banksy* (2017); poem selected by Dan Clendenin: *Further Possible Answers to Prayer* by Scott Cairns.
Our guests are Antonio Elmaleh, author of the critically acclaimed Civil War and Reconstruction novel, The Ones They Left Behind, and Doug McAdam, the Ray Lyman Wilbur Professor of Sociology at Stanford University and the former Director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. McAdam is the author or co-author of 18 books and some 85 other publications in the area of political sociology, with a special emphasis on race in the U.S., American politics, and the study of social movements and “contentious politics.” Join them as they discuss the parallels between our country during the Civil War and now, and how we can unite as a nation during these divisive time
Political Process and the Development of the Black Insurgency, 1930-1970 by Doug McAdam presents a political-process model that explains the rise and decline of the Black protest movement in the United States during the time period of 1930 to 1970. Jasson Perez is a Chicago-raised Black scholar and organizer with 16+ years of experience, from labor to the movement for Black Lives. On this episode, Page chats with Jasson in a two-part series discussing McAdam's book.
Political Process and the Development of the Black Insurgency, 1930-1970 by Doug McAdam presents a political-process model that explains the rise and decline of the Black protest movement in the United States during the time period of 1930 to 1970. Jasson Perez is a Chicago-raised Black scholar and organizer with 16+ years of experience, from labor to the movement for Black Lives. On this episode, Page chats with Jasson in a two-part series discussing McAdam's book.
In this episode, host Jack Delehanty speaks with Stanford sociologist Doug McAdam, whose 2014 co-authored book Deeply Divided: Racial Politics and Social Movements in Postwar America traces the roots of polarization in today’s politics back to the national struggle over civil rights in the 1960s. In their conversation, Jack and Doug focus particularly on tensions […]
This year’s election marks potentially the most dramatic division that we’ve ever had and it could be the beginning of a schism that completely shakes up our two-party system. While a lot of us have opinions about politics, Stanford Professor Doug McAdam is a Political Sociologist that researches the facts around the subject. He’s the former Director of Center of Advance Study in Behavioral Sciences, he’s authored 18 books and 85 other publications all focused on Political Sociology with emphasis on race and social movements. So if there’s anyone who understands how the color of our skin has created two parties that pretty much don’t talk to each other anymore, it’s Doug.
Show #95, Hour 1 | Guests: Imani Gandy, Senior Legal Analyst with RH Reality Check, and co-host of This Week in Blackness Prime; Doug McAdam is the Ray Lyman Wilbur Professor of Sociology at Stanford University. | Show Summary: This month, two young black women charged with minor offenses died in police custody, both reported suicides. They’re two of many cases of suspected or confirmed abuses of police procedure in America, and add to a growing body count of black men and women at the hands of authorities. The Black Lives Matter movement has amplified cries for reform. Their takeover of a candidate’s forum at the Netroots Nation convention sharply divided liberal activists. In Deep looks at the roots, tactics, impact, and goals of Black Lives Matter.
Doug McAdam and Karina Kloos are the authors of Deeply Divided: Racial Politics and Social Movements in Postwar America (Oxford University Press, 2014). McAdam is The Ray Lyman Wilbur Professor of Sociology at Stanford University and the former Director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. Kloos is a scholar of political sociology and social movements at Stanford University, where she is a PhD candidate. What has gotten us to this point of high political polarization and high income inequality? McAdam and Kloos offer a novel answer to what divides us as a country that focuses on the role social movements have in pulling parties to the extremes or pushing parties to the middle. They argue that the post-World War II period was unusual for its low levels of social movement activities and the resulting political centrism of the 1950s. The Civil Rights movement that followed – and the related backlash politics of the Southern Democrats – pushed the parties away from the center and toward regional realignment. Along the way, activists re-wrote party voting procedures that reinforced the power of vocal minorities within each party, thereby entrenching political polarization for the decades to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Doug McAdam and Karina Kloos are the authors of Deeply Divided: Racial Politics and Social Movements in Postwar America (Oxford University Press, 2014). McAdam is The Ray Lyman Wilbur Professor of Sociology at Stanford University and the former Director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. Kloos is a scholar of political sociology and social movements at Stanford University, where she is a PhD candidate. What has gotten us to this point of high political polarization and high income inequality? McAdam and Kloos offer a novel answer to what divides us as a country that focuses on the role social movements have in pulling parties to the extremes or pushing parties to the middle. They argue that the post-World War II period was unusual for its low levels of social movement activities and the resulting political centrism of the 1950s. The Civil Rights movement that followed – and the related backlash politics of the Southern Democrats – pushed the parties away from the center and toward regional realignment. Along the way, activists re-wrote party voting procedures that reinforced the power of vocal minorities within each party, thereby entrenching political polarization for the decades to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies
Doug McAdam and Karina Kloos are the authors of Deeply Divided: Racial Politics and Social Movements in Postwar America (Oxford University Press, 2014). McAdam is The Ray Lyman Wilbur Professor of Sociology at Stanford University and the former Director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. Kloos is a scholar of political sociology and social movements at Stanford University, where she is a PhD candidate. What has gotten us to this point of high political polarization and high income inequality? McAdam and Kloos offer a novel answer to what divides us as a country that focuses on the role social movements have in pulling parties to the extremes or pushing parties to the middle. They argue that the post-World War II period was unusual for its low levels of social movement activities and the resulting political centrism of the 1950s. The Civil Rights movement that followed – and the related backlash politics of the Southern Democrats – pushed the parties away from the center and toward regional realignment. Along the way, activists re-wrote party voting procedures that reinforced the power of vocal minorities within each party, thereby entrenching political polarization for the decades to come.
Doug McAdam and Karina Kloos are the authors of Deeply Divided: Racial Politics and Social Movements in Postwar America (Oxford University Press, 2014). McAdam is The Ray Lyman Wilbur Professor of Sociology at Stanford University and the former Director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. Kloos is a scholar of political sociology and social movements at Stanford University, where she is a PhD candidate. What has gotten us to this point of high political polarization and high income inequality? McAdam and Kloos offer a novel answer to what divides us as a country that focuses on the role social movements have in pulling parties to the extremes or pushing parties to the middle. They argue that the post-World War II period was unusual for its low levels of social movement activities and the resulting political centrism of the 1950s. The Civil Rights movement that followed – and the related backlash politics of the Southern Democrats – pushed the parties away from the center and toward regional realignment. Along the way, activists re-wrote party voting procedures that reinforced the power of vocal minorities within each party, thereby entrenching political polarization for the decades to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Doug McAdam and Karina Kloos are the authors of Deeply Divided: Racial Politics and Social Movements in Postwar America (Oxford University Press, 2014). McAdam is The Ray Lyman Wilbur Professor of Sociology at Stanford University and the former Director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. Kloos is a scholar of political sociology and social movements at Stanford University, where she is a PhD candidate. What has gotten us to this point of high political polarization and high income inequality? McAdam and Kloos offer a novel answer to what divides us as a country that focuses on the role social movements have in pulling parties to the extremes or pushing parties to the middle. They argue that the post-World War II period was unusual for its low levels of social movement activities and the resulting political centrism of the 1950s. The Civil Rights movement that followed – and the related backlash politics of the Southern Democrats – pushed the parties away from the center and toward regional realignment. Along the way, activists re-wrote party voting procedures that reinforced the power of vocal minorities within each party, thereby entrenching political polarization for the decades to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Doug McAdam and Karina Kloos are the authors of Deeply Divided: Racial Politics and Social Movements in Postwar America (Oxford University Press, 2014). McAdam is The Ray Lyman Wilbur Professor of Sociology at Stanford University and the former Director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. Kloos is a scholar of political sociology and social movements at Stanford University, where she is a PhD candidate. What has gotten us to this point of high political polarization and high income inequality? McAdam and Kloos offer a novel answer to what divides us as a country that focuses on the role social movements have in pulling parties to the extremes or pushing parties to the middle. They argue that the post-World War II period was unusual for its low levels of social movement activities and the resulting political centrism of the 1950s. The Civil Rights movement that followed – and the related backlash politics of the Southern Democrats – pushed the parties away from the center and toward regional realignment. Along the way, activists re-wrote party voting procedures that reinforced the power of vocal minorities within each party, thereby entrenching political polarization for the decades to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Doug McAdam and Karina Kloos are the authors of Deeply Divided: Racial Politics and Social Movements in Postwar America (Oxford University Press, 2014). McAdam is The Ray Lyman Wilbur Professor of Sociology at Stanford University and the former Director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. Kloos is a scholar of political sociology and social movements at Stanford University, where she is a PhD candidate. What has gotten us to this point of high political polarization and high income inequality? McAdam and Kloos offer a novel answer to what divides us as a country that focuses on the role social movements have in pulling parties to the extremes or pushing parties to the middle. They argue that the post-World War II period was unusual for its low levels of social movement activities and the resulting political centrism of the 1950s. The Civil Rights movement that followed – and the related backlash politics of the Southern Democrats – pushed the parties away from the center and toward regional realignment. Along the way, activists re-wrote party voting procedures that reinforced the power of vocal minorities within each party, thereby entrenching political polarization for the decades to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Doug McAdam and Karina Kloos are the authors of Deeply Divided: Racial Politics and Social Movements in Postwar America (Oxford University Press, 2014). McAdam is The Ray Lyman Wilbur Professor of Sociology at Stanford University and the former Director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. Kloos is a scholar of political sociology and social movements at Stanford University, where she is a PhD candidate. What has gotten us to this point of high political polarization and high income inequality? McAdam and Kloos offer a novel answer to what divides us as a country that focuses on the role social movements have in pulling parties to the extremes or pushing parties to the middle. They argue that the post-World War II period was unusual for its low levels of social movement activities and the resulting political centrism of the 1950s. The Civil Rights movement that followed – and the related backlash politics of the Southern Democrats – pushed the parties away from the center and toward regional realignment. Along the way, activists re-wrote party voting procedures that reinforced the power of vocal minorities within each party, thereby entrenching political polarization for the decades to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There is widespread consensus among educators, policymakers, and academics that youth volunteerism “makes citizens”—that people who engage in some form of youth service or activism are powerfully affected by the experience and go on to live more engaged lives. The reality, argues Doug McAdam, professor of sociology at Stanford University, is much more complicated. He believes the great majority of volunteer experiences have little impact. In this audio lecture, part of the Stanford Social Innovation Review’s Nonprofit Management Institute, McAdam reviews the results of two follow-up studies of youth activists—those who applied to the 1964 Freedom Summer project and all accepted applicants to Teach for America in years three through eight of that program—and assesses the experiences and their long-term effects on volunteers. https://ssir.org/podcasts/entry/the_civic_impact_of_youth_volunteerism