Towards innovation in theory and research on collective action and social change

摘要

The psychology of collective action and social change has witnessed considerable growth, increased interest, and vibrant scholarly activity over the last one or two decades. An important explanation for this trend is that a broad field has come together, in the sense that (1) there is some consensus about the key predictors of collective action, and (2) scholars have been focusing on theoretical and empirical integration with this consensus in mind. Indeed, many publications illustrate the new and seminal line of integrative theory and research on collective action and social change (e.g., Drury & Reicher, 2009; Haslam, 2004; Klandermans, 1997; Simon & Klandermans, 2001; Tausch et al., 2011; Van Zomeren, Postmes, & Spears, 2008). The vibrant atmosphere in the field is illustrated by increased scholarly publications and activities (e.g., the 2009 special issue of the Journal of Social Issues on collective action; the 2009 conference organized near Groningen, and panel sessions at the 2010 and 2011 Annual Meetings of the International Society of Political Psychology). This strong focus on integration came with a renewed search for innovation. In the current special issue, we aimed to bring together some of the best work on collective action and social change that resulted from both the integrative trend and the search for innovation.