This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY NC ND 4.0 International license. It is free to read at Oxford Scholarship Online and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations. Why does the mind matter for collective action? In Contentious Minds, Florence Passy and Gian-Andrea Monsch explain how cognitive and relational processes allow activists participate in and sustain their commitment to activism. Based on a wide array of survey and interview data with activists engaged in protest, volunteering and unions, they highlight how a commitment community develop shared values, identities, and meanings through interaction. The interplay of talk and ties enables stories and meanings to be constructed and exchanged, conveys worldviews and intentions that are modified through ongoing conversations, and reinforces and maintains commitment over time. Passy and Monsch's ambitious work brings the mind and culture back into the study of social movements and highlights the crucial role social networks play in constructing the communities and shared values that sustain commitment.

Open access funded by Swiss National Science Foundation

About the Author
Florence Passy is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. Gian-Andrea Monsch is a Senior Researcher at FORS, the Swiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences based at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.

Reviews
Contentious Minds is both admirable in its approach and ambitious in scope overall ... Passy and Monsch argue quite passionately and convincingly for additional exploration into the mind of the activist. * David Zeller, American Journal of Sociology *
This text is essential for understanding how talk and social network ties work to sustain activism. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals. * P. Seybold, Indiana University, CHOICE *



Book Information
ISBN 9780190078027
Author Florence Passy
Format Paperback
Page Count 360
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 476g
Dimensions(mm) 155mm * 234mm * 25mm