In this article we contend that social movement theory has predominantly analyzed social movement organizations (SMOs) from a reform perspective, emphasizing movement participants' demands to be recognized by, and incorporated into, the dominant culture. While for many SMOs this has certainly been the case, we argue that it is an inadequate model for the study of radical social movement organizations (RSMOs). When we look at RSMO participants' self-defined goals and objectives, we find that they tend to focus on a radical restructuring of the system rather than incorporation into that system. We therefore propose an alternative theoretical model for understanding RSMOs, utilizing ideal type characteristics for the internal structure, ideology, tactics, methods of communication, and measures of success that differentiate such organizations from their more moderate, reformist counterparts. Through the use of primary sources, we provide evidence that RSMOs, such as the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and various radical second-wave feminist organizations, would be better understood through such an alternative theoretical model. Other RSMOs could be similarly redefined through this model, thereby acknowledging their intentional differences from moderate SMOs and allowing them to be evaluated on their own terms.The study of social movement organizations (SMOs) has generally been approached from the reform perspective that predominates within the social movement theoretical literature. Although SMOs of a more radical nature have been included in this literature, the domain assumption of the perspective that emphasizes the reform of the existing political structure has created problems for the interpretation of radical social movement organizations (RSMOS).~ Much of this problem is the reform perspective's inability to capture the structure, ideology, and successes of radical social movement organizations in a manner that is closer to these organizations' own interpretations. RSMOs tend to be organized nonhierarchically and to adhere to an antibureaucratic
In this address, I offer an explanation as to why I chose the theme ''Locavore Sociology: Challenging Globalization, Embracing the Local'' and the host city of Portland, Oregon, for the 2015 Association for Humanist Sociology meetings. I argue that locavorism is a distinctly humanist form of activism. I then explore the origins of locavorism, particularly in terms of its most obvious manifestation in the locavore food movement but also its extension to lesser known movements such as local living economies, local energy production and consumption, and local knowledges. The promise of locavorism and the limits of locavorism as a progressive movement are explored. Finally, I introduce the idea of locavore sociology as a challenge to dominant disciplinary narratives that interfere with understanding nuances associated with locality.
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