James M. Jasper
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James Macdonald Jasper (born 1957) is a writer and sociologist who has taught Ph.D. students at the
Graduate Center of the City University of New York The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York (CUNY Graduate Center) is a public research institution and post-graduate university in New York City. Serving as the principal doctorate-granting institution of the ...
since 2007. He is best known for his research and theories about culture and politics, especially the cultural and emotional dimensions of protest movements.


Biography

Jasper was born on September 30, 1957, in
Takoma Park Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, and part of the Washington metropolitan area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called " Azalea City", is a Tree ...
, Maryland, adjacent to Washington, D.C. His parents, Jane Howard-Jasper (born Betty Jane Howard) and James Dudley Jasper, separated just before he was born, and he was raised exclusively by his mother. He has no siblings. Jasper was prepared at Saint James School, where he was elected Senior Prefect and graduated in the Class of 1975. He thence attended
Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...
where he received the Bachelor of Arts ''magna cum laude'' in economics(1979). He was awarded the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in sociology from
University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...
(1988). Jasper taught at
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...
from January 1987 to the summer of 1996, leaving after a protracted tenure battle that attracted angry letters from sociologists around the United States. In the following ten years he taught as a visiting professor at Columbia,
Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...
, and the
New School for Social Research The New School for Social Research (NSSR) is a graduate-level educational institution that is one of the divisions of The New School in New York City, United States. The university was founded in 1919 as a home for progressive era thinkers. NSSR ...
. Since the fall of 2007 he has been affiliated with the sociology Ph.D. program of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, where he founded the Politics and Protest Workshop.


Scholarship

Jasper has been writing about politics and culture since the mid-1980s. His books include ''Nuclear Politics'', about energy policy in France, Sweden, and the United States; ''The Animal Rights Crusade'', an examination of the moral dimensions of protest coauthored with
Dorothy Nelkin Dorothy Wolfers Nelkin ( – ) was an American sociologist of science most noted for her work researching and chronicling interplay between science, technology and the general public. Her work often highlighted the ramifications of unchecked scie ...
; ''The Art of Moral Protest'', which developed cultural understandings of social movements and reintroduced emotions as an analytic dimension; ''Restless Nation'', which looks at the negative and positive effects of Americans’ propensity to move so often; and ''Getting Your Way'', which offers a sociological language for talking about strategic action that avoids the determinism of game theory. In recent years Jasper has turned from empirical studies of politics and protest to theoretical work on culture and politics. His most influential contribution has been to show that emotions are a part of culture, allowing humans to adapt to the world around them, to process information, and to engage with others. He differs from many culturally oriented scholars in embracing a kind of
methodological individualism In the social sciences, methodological individualism is the principle that subjective individual motivation explains social phenomena, rather than class or group dynamics which are illusory or artificial and therefore cannot truly explain marke ...
, insisting that beliefs, frames, collective identities, and emotions have an effect only through individuals. Jasper has collaborated on a number of projects with
Jeff Goodwin Jeffrey Roger Goodwin (born January 28, 1958) is a professor of sociology at New York University. He holds a BA, MA (Sociology) and PhD (Sociology) from Harvard University. His research interests include social movements, revolutions, poli ...
, a sociologist at New York University, including the edited books ''Rethinking Social Movements'', ''The Contexts Reader'', and the four-volume ''Social Movements''. Goodwin, Jasper, an
Francesca Polletta
together edited ''Passionate Politics''. From 2005 to 2007 Jasper and Goodwin edited '' Contexts'' magazine, bringing trademark humor to the
American Sociological Association The American Sociological Association (ASA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology. Founded in December 1905 as the American Sociological Society at Johns Hopkins University by a group of fif ...
’s magazine intended to reach popular audiences. Jasper also used the pen name Harry Green to write a controversial column called “the Fool” at the back of each issue. In addition to Jeff Goodwin, Dorothy Nelkin, and Francesca Polletta, Jasper's coauthors have included former students Scott Sanders, Jane Poulsen, Cynthia Gordon, and Mary Bernstein. With political scientist Clifford Bob, Jasper began editing a book series, the'' Oxford Studies in Culture and Politics'', in 2010.


The Art of Moral Protest

In ''The Art of Moral Protest'', Jasper makes several important contributions to
social movement theory Social movement theory is an interdisciplinary study within the social sciences that generally seeks to explain why social mobilization occurs, the forms under which it manifests, as well as potential social, cultural, and political consequences ...
. Some of these contributions are explained below.


Citizenship/post-citizenship distinction

Jasper draws an important distinction between citizenship and post-citizenship movements. Citizenship movements are "organized by and on behalf of categories of people excluded in some way from full human rights, political participation, or basic economic protections."James M. Jasper, ''The Art of Moral Protest'', 7. Almost by definition, then, citizenship movements make their claims primarily against the state, which generally serves as the original granter and primary enforcer of rights and other protections. Claims can, of course, also be made against other large bodies that grant rights or protections, e.g., corporations. Examples of citizenship movements include "industrial workers, women, and later racial and ethnic minorities." Post-citizenship movements, on the other hand, are "composed of people already integrated into their society’s political, economic, and educational systems." Since such people already possess the benefits of normal citizenship, they may “pursue protections or benefits for others," additional non-citizenship benefits for themselves, or both. Note that since "others" are not necessarily categories of people, post-citizenship movements do not always make their claims against the state. Examples of post-citizenship movements include “protection of the environment, peace and disarmament, alternative healing, life-style protections, and animal rights." Environmental protesters may lobby particular states for policy changes, but their target may be the wider public. For instance, protesters who encourage individual consumers to recycle their glass and plastic containers may be less concerned with making claims against the state than with disseminating an important message as widely as possible. In addition, protesters may be seeking benefits for themselves as well, e.g., the opportunity to bond with a group of like-minded people. Such benefits are what Jasper calls the "pleasures of protest."


Four dimensions of protest

In Chapter 3, Jasper advances a model of
social movements A social movement is a loosely organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a particular goal, typically a Social issue, social or political one. This may be to carry out a social change, or to resist or undo one. It is a type of Group ...
containing four "autonomous dimensions":James M. Jasper, ''The Art of Moral Protest'', 44. resources, strategy, culture, and biography. Jasper thinks that one major advantage of his model is its ability to draw on the respective strengths of prior theories—crowd theory,
rational choice theory Rational choice theory refers to a set of guidelines that help understand economic and social behaviour. The theory originated in the eighteenth century and can be traced back to political economist and philosopher, Adam Smith. The theory postula ...
,
resource mobilization Resource mobilization is the process of getting resources from the resource provider, using different mechanisms, to implement an organization's predetermined goals. It is a theory that is used in the study of social movements and argues that the s ...
, and
political opportunity Political opportunity theory, also known as the political process theory or political opportunity structure, is an approach of social movements that is heavily influenced by political sociology. It argues that success or failure of social movements ...
—while not overstretching any single dimension of protest. For example, he thinks that
resource mobilization Resource mobilization is the process of getting resources from the resource provider, using different mechanisms, to implement an organization's predetermined goals. It is a theory that is used in the study of social movements and argues that the s ...
theory conflates strategy with resources. By isolating these various dimensions analytically, Jasper aims to show how they interact while retaining their respective logics. Brief definitions of each of these dimensions can be given as follows. According to Jasper, resources are understood as "physical technologies and their capacities, or the money to buy these technologies." An example of a resource is a
social movement organization A social movement organization (SMO) is an organized component of a social movement. SMOs are generally seen as the components of a social movement. The movement's goal that can be much more narrow, or much broader, than the SMOs' goals. Descrip ...
's computers, or the funds used to purchase them. Secondly, strategy is defined as "the choices made by individuals and organizations in their interactions with other players, especially opponents." For example, a
social movement organization A social movement organization (SMO) is an organized component of a social movement. SMOs are generally seen as the components of a social movement. The movement's goal that can be much more narrow, or much broader, than the SMOs' goals. Descrip ...
’s choice to march in the street instead of filing a lawsuit constitutes a strategic choice. Third, culture can be understood as "shared understandings (emotional, moral, and cognitive) and their embodiments." For example, a group of
animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...
activists might share the belief that all life is sacred. By Jasper’s definition, this belief can be considered part of the group’s culture. Lastly, biography is considered by Jasper to be the "individual constellations of cultural meanings, personalities, sense of self, derived from biographical experiences." For example, one of the aforementioned animal rights activists might have seen animal cruelty at a dog pound, an individual experience which has made him or her highly sensitive to the needs and condition of animals.


"Tastes in tactics"

Of particular interest is Jasper’s identification of a significant way in which culture and biography influence strategy: different protestors have different "tastes in tactics." Different protesters have different tastes, and these are a result of “a complex process combining rational assessments of a range of tactics, moral and affective valuations of those tactics, and the recruitment of new participants with no investment in prior tactics."''The Art of Moral Protest,'' 244. For example, a
social movement organization A social movement organization (SMO) is an organized component of a social movement. SMOs are generally seen as the components of a social movement. The movement's goal that can be much more narrow, or much broader, than the SMOs' goals. Descrip ...
may initially be composed of protesters who largely think that non-violent mass demonstrations are the best form of protest. Various cultural and biographical factors might explain this preference: perhaps these protesters are college students who place great value on the teachings of
Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
. This organization may then give way to a new crop of protesters who are not so invested in these prior tactics; they may even consciously eschew the nonviolent ways of their predecessors in order to differentiate themselves.


Selected books

*''Nuclear Politics: Energy and the State in the United States, Sweden, and France.'' Princeton University Press. 1990. *''The Animal Rights Crusade: The Growth of a Moral Protest.'' The Free Press. 1992. With Dorothy Nelkin. *''The Art of Moral Protest: Culture, Biography, and Creativity in Social Movements.'' University of Chicago Press. 1997. *''Restless Nation: Starting Over in America.'' University of Chicago Press. 2000. *''Passionate Politics: Emotions and Social Movements.'' University of Chicago Press. 2001. With
Jeff Goodwin Jeffrey Roger Goodwin (born January 28, 1958) is a professor of sociology at New York University. He holds a BA, MA (Sociology) and PhD (Sociology) from Harvard University. His research interests include social movements, revolutions, poli ...
and Francesca Polletta. *''Getting Your Way: Strategic Dilemmas in Real Life.'' University of Chicago Press. 2006. *''Contention in Context: Political Opportunities and the Emergence of Protest''. Stanford University Press, 2012. With
Jeff Goodwin Jeffrey Roger Goodwin (born January 28, 1958) is a professor of sociology at New York University. He holds a BA, MA (Sociology) and PhD (Sociology) from Harvard University. His research interests include social movements, revolutions, poli ...
. *''Protest: A Cultural Introduction to Social Movements''. Polity Press, 2014.


Selected articles

*
Las emociones y los movimientos sociales: veinte años de teoría e investigación
''Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios sobre Cuerpos Emociones y Sociedad'' Nº10. Año 4. Diciembre 2012-marzo de 2013. Argentina. . pp. 46–66. *“¿De la Estructura a la Acción? La Teoría de los Movimientos Socials después de los Grandes Paradigmas.” ''Sociológica'' 27(75). 2012. pp. 7–48. *“Emotions and Social Movements: Twenty Years of Theory and Research.” ''Annual Review of Sociology'' 37. 2011. pp. 285–304. *“Social Movement Theory Today: Toward a Theory of Action?” ''Sociology Compass'' 10. 2010. pp. 965–976. *“The Rhetoric of Sociological Facts.” ''Sociological Forum'' 22(3). 2007. pp. 270–299. With Michael P. Young. *“A Strategic Approach to Collective Action: Looking for Agency in Social Movement Choices.” ''Mobilization'' 9(1). 2004. Pp. 1–16. *“L’Art de la Protestation Collective.” ''Raisons Pratiques'' 12. Special issue under the direction of Daniel Cefäi and Danny Trom, ''Les Formes de l’Action Collective: Mobilisations dans des Arènes Publiques'' (Paris: Editions de l’Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales). 2001. pp. 135–159. *“Collective Identity and Social Movements.” ''Annual Review of Sociology'' 27. 2001. pp. 283–305. With Francesca Polletta. *“The Return of the Repressed: The Fall and Rise of Emotions in Social Movement Theory.” ''Mobilization'' 5(1). 2000. Pp. 65–84. With
Jeff Goodwin Jeffrey Roger Goodwin (born January 28, 1958) is a professor of sociology at New York University. He holds a BA, MA (Sociology) and PhD (Sociology) from Harvard University. His research interests include social movements, revolutions, poli ...
and Francesca Polletta. *“Nostalgie: Verdammung der Gegenwart, Kontrolle der Zukunft.” ''
Lettre International ''Lettre International'' is the title of a number of cultural magazines published in various languages in Europe. The history of ''Lettre International'' dates back to 1984, the year that the original French edition (''Lettre Internationale'') fir ...
'' 47. 1999. Pp. 74–81. *“Caught in a Winding, Snarling Vine: the Structural Bias of Political Process Theory.” ''Sociological Forum'' 14(1). 1999. Pp. 27–54. With
Jeff Goodwin Jeffrey Roger Goodwin (born January 28, 1958) is a professor of sociology at New York University. He holds a BA, MA (Sociology) and PhD (Sociology) from Harvard University. His research interests include social movements, revolutions, poli ...
. *“The Emotions of Protest: Affective and Reactive Emotions in and around Social Movements.” ''Sociological Forum'' 13(3). 1998. pp. 397–424. *“Interests and Credibility: Whistleblowers in Technological Conflicts.” ''Social Science Information'' 35(3). 1996. pp. 565–589. With Mary Bernstein. French translation: “Les Tireurs d’Alarme dans les Conflits sur les Risques Technologiques.” ''Politix'' 44 (1998). pp. 109–134. *“Overcoming the ‘NIMBY’ Label: Rhetorical and Organizational Links for Local Protestors.” ''Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change'' 19. 1996. Pp. 153-175. With Cynthia Gordon. *“Recruiting Strangers and Friends: Moral Shocks and Social Networks in Animal Rights and Antinuclear Protest.” ''Social Problems'' 42(4). 1995. pp. 401–420. With Jane D. Poulsen. *“Big Institutions in Local Politics: American Universities, the Public, and Animal Protection Efforts.” ''Social Science Information'' 34(3). 1995. pp. 491–509. With Scott Sanders. *“Civil Politics in the Animal Rights Conflict: God Terms versus Casuistry in Cambridge, Massachusetts.” ''Science, Technology, and Human Values'' 19(2). 1994. pp. 169–188. With Scott Sanders. *“Fighting Back: Vulnerabilities, Blunders, and Countermobilization by the Targets of Three Animal Rights Campaigns.” ''Sociological Forum'' 8(4). 1993. pp. 639–657. *“The Politics of Abstractions: Instrumental and Moralist Rhetorics in Public Debate.” ''Social Research'' 59(2). 1992. pp. 315–344. *“Gods, Titans, and Mortals: Patterns of State Involvement in Nuclear Development.” ''Energy Policy'' 20(7). 1992. pp. 653–659. *“The Political Life Cycle of Technological Controversies.” ''Social Forces'' 67(2). 1988. pp. 357–377.


See also

* Moral shock *
Social Movement Theory Social movement theory is an interdisciplinary study within the social sciences that generally seeks to explain why social mobilization occurs, the forms under which it manifests, as well as potential social, cultural, and political consequences ...


References


External links


Academia.edu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jasper, James M. 1957 births Living people Saint James School (Maryland) alumni Harvard College alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni City University of New York faculty Graduate Center, CUNY faculty American sociologists People from Takoma Park, Maryland Contexts editors