Colin J Beck | Pomona College (original) (raw)

Books by Colin J Beck

Social movements, revolutions, and terrorism share similar causes and processes. The book conside... more Social movements, revolutions, and terrorism share similar causes and processes. The book considers eight key questions for understanding radicalism. Ranging across the globe from the 1500s to the present, diverse cases are examined, e.g., 19th century anarchists, fascists, Che Guevara, the Weather Underground, Chechen insurgents, the Earth Liberation Front, Al-Qaeda, and the Arab Spring. Throughout, it demonstrates how to draw on multiple areas of research to better explain the forms movements take.

Papers by Colin J Beck

The New Handbook of Political Sociology

This chapter is an attempt to provide a more accurate and holistic account of revolution studies ... more This chapter is an attempt to provide a more accurate and holistic account of revolution studies than the shackles of generational imagery has allowed. Instead of theoretical generations, I sketch eight theoretical schemas that guide ways of thinking about rebellions and revolutions. Three schemas are classical—Marxism, natural history, and strain theory—and two remain in force today—state-centered and mass mobilization approaches. And three are emergent and not yet institutionalized—cultural, international, and contingency schemas.

Sociological Theory

The social scientific study of revolution has been deviled by a lack of progress in recent years,... more The social scientific study of revolution has been deviled by a lack of progress in recent years, divided between competing views on the universality of patterns in revolution. This study examines the origins of these epistemologies. Drawing on an insight that different modes of comparison yield different types of knowledge, this study argues that the network structure of how cases are compared constrains or enables the development of a field's theoretical sensibilities. Analysis of comparative studies of revolution published from 1970 to 2009 reveals that the field overall is most amenable to knowledge about particular cases rather than the phenomenon of revolution broadly. Analysis of the changing structure of comparison over time reveals that comparison precedes the development of an epistemology. The results suggest that conclusions about the possibility, or lack thereof, of generalization may be an artifact of the comparative method.

Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Social Movements, 2nd Edition

In spite of a proliferation of empirical research, scholarship on terrorism remains theoretically... more In spite of a proliferation of empirical research, scholarship on terrorism remains
theoretically fragmented and often inconclusive on even basic issues. In this chapter,
we detail how terrorism can be incorporated into the social movements and
collective action scholarships’ portfolio of research through a review of several of the
most widely debated topics in current terrorism research: 1) how terrorism is
defined; 2) dynamics of radicalization for individuals and groups; 3) intensity and
targets of violence; 4) organizational diversification; and 5) the context of terrorist
action. Taking a problem-centered approach, we detail how prior insights from
scholarship on social movements and collective action can theoretically and
substantively advance terrorism research.

Constitutions, once thought of as distinctly national documents, are now recognized as being writ... more Constitutions, once thought of as distinctly national documents, are now recognized as being written, adopted, and amended in conversation with national laws of other societies, international organizations, and transnational legal orders. This paper situates constitutions in the post-World War II growth of world society, examining trends in provisions for human rights. Human rights language and law, once absent from almost all constitutions, now appears in most of them. We argue that this striking change is driven by global-transnational processes as much as by national conditions. We introduce a measure of human rights in constitutions based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and data from the Comparative Constitutions Project. Results of analyses verify the robustness of the measure and support a global-transnational account of human rights inclusion in constitutions.

Since 2012, I have been a member of the Political Instability Task Force. The PITF is a US govern... more Since 2012, I have been a member of the Political Instability Task Force. The PITF is a US government funded research project that brings academics together with intelligence analysts to provide advice on how to anticipate episodes of political conflict and violence of various forms. I am no longer able to continue this work, and am disappointed that I am the only scholar of the two dozen affiliated with the project that appears to feel this way. Below is my explanation as to why I resigned from the PITF on January 20, 2017.

Formalization of comparative case methodology has given the appearance of growing consensus and c... more Formalization of comparative case methodology has given the appearance of growing consensus and cross-disciplinary acceptance around a set of best practices. Yet how researchers actually use a method may differ widely from what methodologists believe, which is the crux of institutionalization of a method. This study examines whether comparative methodology has, in fact, institutionalized within the social sciences using evidence from the entire corpus of comparative studies of revolution published from 1970 to 2009. Content analysis of methods of case selection within the revolution subfield reveals a wide diversity of strategies with only modest methodological awareness by practitioners, a lack of consensus among which case selection strategies to use, and little convergence over time. Thus, the comparative method has not yet institutionalized in its practice. Methodological practice has implications for the coverage of cases of revolution and what is substantively known about the phenomenon.

Theory and Society, 2014

The “Arab Spring” was a surprising event not just because predicting revolutions is a difficult t... more The “Arab Spring” was a surprising event not just because predicting revolutions is a difficult task, but because current theories of revolution are ill equipped to explain revolutionary waves where interactive causal mechanisms at different levels of analysis and interactions between the units of analysis predominate. To account for such dynamics, a multidimensional social science of revolution is required. Accordingly, a meta-framework for revolutionary theory that combines multiple levels of analysis, multiple units of analysis, and their interactions is offered. A structured example of theory building is then given by detailing how the development of world cultural models and practices challenge existing political structures, affect mobilization processes, and make diffusion more likely. A structured example of study design using qualitative comparative analysis of 16 Middle Eastern and North African countries provides support for the interaction of subnational conditions for mobilization, state centered causes, and transnational factors, including a country’s linkage to world society, as one explanation of the Revolutions of 2011.

Social Science History, 2011

The existence of revolutionary waves is a well-known feature of history. This study contends that... more The existence of revolutionary waves is a well-known feature of history. This study contends that revolutionary waves are best understood as systemic phenomena occurring during periods of rapid world-cultural expansion. Rapid expansion and deeper penetration of cultural linkages is theorized to generate contradiction between idealized models and local political practices, empower oppositions, and fracture elites, resulting in waves of revolution. The theoretical logic is illustrated with the example of the Atlantic Revolutions. Multivariate analyses examine the correspondence among a new indicator of world culture, additional systemic processes, and revolutionary waves across five centuries of European history. Results suggest that the occurrence of revolutionary waves is positively associated with relatively rapid world-cultural growth and hegemonic decline, as indicated by periods of hegemonic warfare.

Social Forces, 2013

This study examines formal terrorism designations by governments through the lens of organization... more This study examines formal terrorism designations by governments through the lens of organization studies research on categorization processes. It is argued that designations hinge on markers from the organizational profile of a militant group. Using cross-sectional data on militant organizations and designations by the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union, multivariate analyses find that listed organizations do not merely have a track record of violence against a government’s citizens, but also tend to target aviation and have an Islamic ideological basis. Mixed support for geopolitical factors is found, but imageries of hegemonic interest are not confirmed. Secondary analyses suggest that newer images of terrorism may replace older ones in classification schemes but further research is needed to know whether this is because of policy adaptation or the effect of spectacular events like September 11th.

International Sociology, 2012

A recent movement has extended previous emphases on the rights of national citizens by asserting ... more A recent movement has extended previous emphases on the rights of national citizens by asserting the global human rights of all persons. This article describes the extent to which this change is reflected in the language of national constitutions around the world. Human rights language – formerly absent from almost all constitutions – now appears in most of them. Rather than characterizing developed or democratic states, human rights language is, first, especially common in countries most susceptible to global influences. Second, human rights language is driven by the extent of the international human rights regime at the time of a constitution’s writing. Third, human rights language tends to appear in newer constitutions and in the constitutions of emergent and reorganized states. National constitutions are imprinted with global social conditions, which now stress the discourse of human rights.

Sociological Forum, 2009

Previous research on political Islam in the Middle East and North Africa has been limited in prov... more Previous research on political Islam in the Middle East and North Africa has been limited in providing a generalizable theory of its origins and systematically account for the cross-national variation in the prevalence of Islamic movements. Following a state-centered approach, this study argues that state-building activities are a primary origin of Islamic movements. Regimes adopt religious symbolism and functions that legitimate the role of Islam in the public sphere. State incorporation of religion thus creates Islam as a frame for political action, with increased access to mobilizing resources and better able to withstand repression and political exclusion. To provide an explicit and systematic test of cross-national variation, data on 170 political and militant organizations across the region are analyzed. Results indicate that state incorporation of religion is a crucial factor in the religiosity of movement organizations. Mixed effects of political exclusion and repression are found. No support is found for theories of economic grievances or foreign influence as causes of Islamic mobilization. In sum, analysis suggests that a state-centered perspective is the most fitting account of political Islam.

Sociology Compass, 2008

The study of terrorism and political violence has been characterized by a lack of generalizable t... more The study of terrorism and political violence has been characterized by a lack of generalizable theory and methodology. This essay proposes that social movement theory can contribute a necessary conceptual framework for understanding terrorism and thus reviews the relevant literature and discusses possible applications. Terrorism is a form of contentious politics, analyzable with the basic social movement approach of mobilizing resources, political opportunity structure, and framing. Cultural perspectives call attention to issues of collective identity that allow for sustained militancy, and movement research recommends alternative conceptions of terrorist networks. Previous research on movement radicalization, repression, and cycles of contention has direct bearing on militancy. Emerging perspectives on transnational collective action and the diffusion of tactics and issues informs an understanding of contemporary international terrorism. Research on movement outcomes suggests broader ways of considering the efficacy of political violence. Finally, methodological debates within the study of social movements are relevant for research on terrorism. In sum, a social movement approach to terrorism has much to contribute, and research on terrorism could have important extensions and implications for social movement theory.

Mobilization, 2007

Political action on the cusp between social movements and militancy provides a robust test of uni... more Political action on the cusp between social movements and militancy provides a robust test of universal theories of both collective action and terrorism. In particular, radical environmentalism and the new wave of ecoterrorism in the United States deserve social science consideration as one such radical cusp movement. Data on 84 ecoterrorist events in the United States, 1998-2005, from the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism’s Terrorism Incident Database are considered vis-à-vis previous theories to identify possible patterns. A methodology for research on clandestine organizations, the imputation of cells from incident data, is proposed. Analysis suggests that radicalism is a product of social movements and that it diffuses according to exogenous factors, in particular local political climates. Little support is found for theories of continued radicalization in militant movements, but some evidence indicates that a general life cycle of political violence exists.