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The Politics of Common Sense
How Social Movements Use Public Discourse to Change Politics and Win Acceptance
Synopsis
The way that movements communicate with the general public matters for their chances of lasting success. Devo Woodly argue that the potential for movement-led political change is significantly rooted in mainstream democratic discourse and specifically in the political acceptance of new issues by news media, the general public, and elected officials. This is true to some extent for any group wishing to alter status quo distributions of rights and/or resources, but is
especially important for grassroots challengers who do not already have a place of legitimated influence in the polity. By examining the talk of two contemporary movements, the living wage and marriage equality, during the critical decade after their emergence between 1994-2004, Woodly shows that
while the living wage movement experienced over 120 policy victories and the marriage equality movement suffered many policy defeats, the overall impact that marriage equality had on changing American politics was much greater than that of the living wage because of its deliberate effort to change mainstream political discourse, and thus, the public understanding of the politics surrounding the issue.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
"The Politics of Common Sense offers an intriguing example of theory building around the potential of social movements to influence political decision making in the US. Woodly (The New School) argues that movements ultimately compete in the arena of public discourse, and public discourse also represents a vital resource to mobilize. This thoughtful and insightful work is recommended for students of social movements and American public policy making."-D. R.
Imig, University of Memphis
"In this timely and engaging book, Deva Woodly offers a fascinating account
of how 'bottom-up political change' occurs. The Politics of Common Sense is especially valuable because it theorizes the messy, contested terrain of discourse as a vital site of political activity."--Ella Myers, Theory & Event'