Abstract
Stephen Valocchi provides a fresh perspective on the contemporary American progressive movement, recognizing a disjuncture between many theories of social movements and the experiences or perspectives of activists. He uses an approach he calls a dialogic stance, which focuses on how the stories, perspectives, and oral histories of activists can ameliorate and extend existing theoretical models of social movements, as well as how activists understand their own work in mobilizing for change. Valocchi draws on in-depth interviews with 33 activists based in Hartford, Connecticut that were conducted between 2002 and 2008. He used snowball sampling to generate a group of activists who were diverse across lines of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and issue focus, ultimately providing a rich mix of activist perspectives, which is a key strength of this work. Valocchi addresses several topics of theoretical interest to both students of social movement dynamics and activists, such as strategies, goals, resources and organizations, commitment to the progressive movement, and activist identities. Particularly notable is the chapter focusing on activist burnout, where he pays specific attention to several key strategies the Hartford progressives used to balance their personal lives and activist commitments.
Valocchi’s work should prove insightful for scholars of social movements, collective behavior, and political sociology. Of equal importance, and consistent with Valocchi’s aims, this work is also intended for activists working toward progressive social change.