Graduation Date
1976
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Other
Program
Arts
Committee Chair Name
Dr. Lane Skelton
Committee Chair Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Dr. Dolores Poelzer
Third Committee Member Name
Dr. Samuel P. Oliner
Keywords
Art
Abstract
It is difficult to untangle the influences and interests which contributed to the selection of Feminism and Social Movement theory as my thesis topic. To say I chose to explore these subjects because they piqued my curiosity explains little; presumably thesis topics are generally chosen because the writer finds the subject matter interesting or compelling, I was propelled into the discipline of Sociology itself because of participation in and support for many of the social movements which punctuated the 1960’s, I turned to the theories and observations of social scientists with the hope vney would better enable me to understand the events so deeply affecting my life and arousing ny intellectual curiosity. The more I delved into the work concerning collective mobilizations and societal reactions, the more dismayed and intrigued I became; there seemed to be as many approaches to the study of social movements as there were writers on the subject. The only area of agreement among these analysts seemed to be a consensus that the field was neglected, unsystematized, poorly delineated, and in a general state of disarray. This intensified my interest in theory and led to a desire to attempt to clarify the similarities and differences among widely disparate models of social movement phenomena. The Women’s Movement was selected as the empirical case study for several reasons. First, it is an ongoing, contemporary societal phenomenon, existing in the attitudes and actions of individuals. Many social movement studies have the benefit of hindsight; movements are historical and analyses seek to explain why they emerged, evolved and resolved as they did. Many theoretical positions employ “bits and iv pieces” of a great variety of social movements as examples of general abstract propositions, By examining a single current event, so to speak, one has the opportunity to evaluate the relationship between theory and an empirical event and to consider the utility of theoretical predictions concerning probable social movement outcomes. Second, the New Feminism seems to contradict many sociological propositions in social movement paradigms involving the nature of leadership, organization, objectives, and strategies. This empirical case urges further examination and scrutiry of varying paradigmatic stances. Finally, I identify nyself as a Feminist, a participant in this social movement. Thus, this particular movement was chosen because of deep personal interest with the hope that my own experiences might add to an understanding of the movement and its participants as well as supplement the analytic tools I bring to theoretical analysis. At times it has been difficult to resolve the conflict arising from the two perspectives--participant and detached observer—“I brought to this work, I hope that my Feminist values and partisanship have not distorted, but rather, contributed to the observations and analyses contained within these pages.
Recommended Citation
Little, Judith K., "The New Feminism: A Social Movement in Process" (1976). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 2414.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/2414