Organization studies and social movements: What do we know? Where are we going?

Abstract

Social Movements’ theory, mainly the one developed in the North-American context, is strongly influenced by organization studies. Recently, academics of the organizational field, also from the North-American context, have explicitly shared theoretical references with Social Movement’s theories. In this article we review such trajectory of approximation, focusing on Mobilization Resources Theory, Structure of Political Opportunities and in the effort of connecting both, the recently approximation between Social Movements’theory and institutional theory, and network approach. Instead of orienting our question to the learning which enterprise’s management can have with the flexibility and fluidity of Social Movements, we ask what would be the consequences of a theory strongly influenced by business logics to the understanding of movements oriented towards the overcome of such logic and the relations it produces. Finally, we present a provisory agenda of questions and options for further developments.