The Contemporary US Peace Movement [Hardcover]

As peace activists have faced increased government repression and accusations of being unpatriotic since 9/11, Toussaint examines how current attempts to control dissent impact the peace movement. This study offers an analysis of self-identified peace activists in terms of their demographic characteristics, motivation for activism, political opportunities, and views of the peace movement. It also discusses the processes involved in successfully mobilizing an increasingly diverse constituency and how broad-based support can be sustained beyond reacting to crises.

1. Introduction  2. Methodology and Demographic Data  3. Participation, Identity, and Social Networks in the Peace Movement  4. The Peace Movement and the Political Opportunity Structure  5. Peace Movement Issues, Diversity, and Mobilization  6. Challenges, Opportunities, and Future Prospects for the Peace Movement  7. Conclusions

Laura Toussaint's The Contemporary U.S. Peace Movementdelivers precisely what it promises; a thorough, factual and up-to-date account of the individual activitsts that make up the peace and justice movements in the United States today. Toussaint's book is an important and timely commentary on how individuals struggle to make their voices heard in the guarded halls of foreign policy -- Mobilization, Vol. 14, No. 4, December 2009

Laura Toussaintreceived her Ph.D. from the Department of Sociology at American University. She serves on the Editorial Board of Societies Without Borders, the academic journal of Sociologists Without Borders.