Application Deadline for Young Scholars Conference, February 27th!

In conjunction with the presentation of the John D. McCarthy Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Scholarship in Social Movements, The Center for the Study of Social Movements at the University of Notre Dame will be hosting a “Young Scholars” Conference on May 1, the day before the award events. The recipient of the McCarthy Award, Sid Tarrow, will be in attendance and other senior scholars visiting Notre Dame for the award presentation will serve as discussants for the conference.

We would like to invite 12 advanced graduate students and early-career faculty to present a work solidly in-progress at the conference, enjoy an opportunity to discuss their work with some of the leading scholars in the field, and meet others in the new cohort of social movement scholars. Conference attendees will also be invited to the McCarthy Award Lecture and the award banquet on May 2. The Center will pay for meals, up to three nights lodging, and contribute $500 toward travel expenses for each of the conference attendees.

The Center will select invitees from all nominations received by February 27, 2015. Nominations will be accepted for ABD graduate students and those who have held their Ph.D.s less than two years. Nominations must be written by the nominee’s faculty dissertation advisor (or a suitable substitute intimately familiar with the nominee’s research, if the advisor is unavailable). Nominations should include:

1. A letter of nomination.
2. The CV of the nominee.
3. A one-page abstract of the work to be presented.

Nominations should be sent via email to Rory McVeigh, Director of the Center for the Study of Social Movements, rmcveigh@nd.edu.

Emerging Stars in Social Movement Research

Each spring, in conjunction with the John D. McCarthy Award celebration, the Center for the Study of Social Movements at Notre Dame hosts the Young Scholars in Social Movements conference. Conference participants come from around the world and include some of the brightest graduate students and assistant professors studying activism, social movements, and political conflict. Our team of Contributing Editors—the folks who write the blog’s Daily Disruption posts—is primarily drawn from this pool of talented young scholars. We are taking the next several weeks to shine the spotlight on these emerging stars and on their research.  New ideas often (perhaps usually) come from younger generations. So, in many ways, these posts represent where the field is headed and should be interesting to anyone seeking to better understand processes of activism and social change.

Many thanks to the Contributing Editors listed below—for allowing us to feature their work in the coming weeks, and for their contributions to the Daily Disruption. We plan to post a new essay from these authors every few days during the months of October and November, so check back often.

Announcing the Fifth Annual Young Scholars in Social Movements Mini-Conference

Hosted by the Center for the Study of Social Movements, University of Notre Dame May 2, 2014.

In conjunction with the presentation of the John D. McCarthy Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Scholarship in Social Movements, The Center for the Study of Social Movements at Notre Dame will be hosting a “Young Scholars” Conference the day before the award events. The recipient of the McCarthy Award, Bert Klandermans will be in attendance and other senior scholars visiting Notre Dame for the award presentation will serve as discussants for the conference.

We would like to invite 12 advanced graduate students and early-career faculty to present a work solidly in-progress at the conference, enjoy an opportunity to discuss their work with some of the leading scholars in the field, and meet others in the new cohort of social movement scholars. Conference attendees will also be invited to the McCarthy Award Lecture and the award banquet on May 3. The Center will pay for meals, up to three nights lodging, and contribute $500 toward travel expenses for each of the conference attendees.

The Center will select invitees from all nominations received by February 28, 2014. Nominations will be accepted for ABD graduate students and those who have held their Ph.D.s less than two years. Nominations must be written by the nominee’s faculty dissertation advisor (or a suitable substitute intimately familiar with the nominee’s research, if the advisor is unavailable). Nominations should include:

1. A letter of nomination.
2. The CV of the nominee.
3. A one-page abstract of the work to be presented.

Nominations should be sent via email to Rory McVeigh, Director of the Center for the Study of Social Movements, rmcveigh@nd.edu.

McCarthy Award and the Young Scholars in Social Movements Conference

A great strategy to grow an academic sub-field, like social movement research, is to connect the scholars who have made the largest contributions to the field over the past several decades to  the bright young scholars who are likely to make the largest contributions for the next several decades.  And then do this on a regular basis.  I had an opportunity to witness this in action at the annual McCarthy Award celebration, which is held in conjunction with the Young Scholars in Social Movements Conference.  Both were hosted by Notre Dame’s Center for the Study of Social Movements a few weeks ago.

Pam’s public lecture.

Pam Oliver was the recipient of the 2012 McCarthy Award, which recognizes lifetime achievement in the scholarship of social movements and collective behavior.  Her talk on the centrality of race to social movement theorizing was fascinating and challenging.  Although her current contributions to the field are staggering, as I listened I couldn’t help wonder if some of her most important contributions are still to come.  Several other senior scholars in the field – John McCarthy, David Snow, Myra Marx Ferree, Hank Johnston, Daniel Myers, and David Meyer – were on hand for the celebration to “toast and roast” Pam, offering reflections on Pam’s work and her influence on the field.  It was not only a tribute to the Pam’s body of work but also to the collegiality among the senior scholars in our field.

Announcing the third annual Young Scholars in Social Movements Mini-Conference

In conjunction with the presentation of the John D. McCarthy Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Scholarship in Social Movements, The Center for the Study of Social Movements at Notre Dame will be hosting a “Young Scholars” Conference the day before the award events. The recipient of the McCarthy Award, Pam Oliver, and other senior scholars visiting Notre Dame for the award presentation will serve as discussants for the conference.

We would like to invite 12 advanced graduate students and early-career faculty to present a work solidly in-progress at the conference, enjoy an opportunity to discuss their work with some of the leading scholars in the field, and meet others in the new cohort of social movement scholars. Conference attendees will also be invited to the McCarthy Award Lecture and the award banquet on May 5. The Center will pay for meals, up to three nights lodging, and contribute $500 toward travel expenses for each of the conference attendee.

The Center will select invitees from all nominations received by February 28, 2012. Nominations will be accepted for ABD graduate students and those who have held their Ph.D.s less than two years. Nominations must be written by the nominee’s faculty dissertation advisor (or a suitable substitute intimately familiar with the nominee’s research, if the advisor is unavailable). Nominations should include:

1. A letter of nomination.
2. The CV of the nominee.
3. A one-page abstract of the work to be presented.

Nominations should be sent via email to Rory McVeigh, Director of the Center for the Study of Social Movements, rmcveigh@nd.edu.

2012 McCarthy Award Winner!

I am very pleased to announce that the winner of the 2012 John D. McCarthy Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Scholarship of Social Movements and Collective Behavior is Pamela Oliver!  We are thrilled that Pam will be accepting the award—an award that not only recognizes Pam’s important research accomplishments but also excellence in mentoring successive generations of scholars. This year’s award ceremony will be held on May 5, 2012.  Pam will be giving a public lecture prior to the award banquet.  Several of Pam’s friends, students, and colleagues will be on hand to offer reflections on Pam’s work and her influence on the field.  If this year’s ceremony is anything like prior McCarthy Award events, there will also be quite a few laughs (and once the wine starts flowing, a riot may ensue). In conjunction with the presentation of the McCarthy Award, the Center for the Study of Social Movements will also be hosting the third annual Young Scholars in Social Movements Conference on May 4^th.  Advanced graduate students and recently minted PhD’s will be invited to present their work and receive feedback from the McCarthy Award winner and a distinguished panel of senior scholars in the field. We hope that many of you will mark your calendars and plan to join us for these events.  Please be on the lookout for more information in the coming weeks—including instructions on how to apply for the Young Scholars Conference.  We will distribute the news on the CBSM listserv and also post the news on our Center’s website http://cssm.nd.edu Rory McVeigh Director, Center for the Study of Social Movements