Doctoral Dissertation Research: Cooperation and Conflict between "Old" and "New" Social Movements: The Case of Organized Labor and the Environmental Movement

历史上，民众动员一直以经济利益为中心，工会是政治行动的主要载体。然而，近几十年来，社会运动学者确定了新的动员形式，转而侧重于环境保护等非物质目标。这些“新社会运动”不仅在目标上与传统社会运动形成反差，而且在组织结构、阶级构成和文化上也形成了鲜明对比。社会运动和阶级理论家对于这些新运动应该如何与传统的阶级对立者相联系以及他们之间将出现什么样的政治结盟，存在分歧。本博士论文研究将以工会与环保组织为基础，检视影响这些“新”与“旧”运动组织之间关系的条件，以及这些关系发展的过程。这项研究的第一阶段涉及对各州工会进行全国调查，以确定美国各地劳工/环境关系的状况。调查数据将被用来检验关于政治、经济和组织因素对所发展的关系类型的影响的几个假设。然后，利用调查确定的相关对比案例，将选择六个州进行比较案例研究，旨在审查这两个运动部门之间的关系发展过程。通过与相关行为者的面谈和使用组织文件，将确定更准确地了解支配“新”和“旧”社会运动之间关系的力量。

Historically, popular mobilization has centered around economic interests with labor unions serving as the primary vehicle for political action. However social movement scholars have identified new forms of mobilization in recent decades which focus instead on non-material goals such as environmental protection. These "new social movements" contrast with their traditional counterparts not only in their goals, but also in their organizational structure, class make up and culture. Social movement and class theorists are in disagreement as to how these new movements should be conceived of in relation to the traditional class antagonists and what political alignments will emerge among them. Using labor unions and environmental organizations as the basis, this doctoral dissertation research will examine both the conditions which influence relations between these "old" and "new" movement organizations and the process by which these relationships develop. The first stage of the study involves a national survey of state labor federations in order to determine the status of labor/environmental relations around the United States. Data from the survey will be used to test several hypothesis regarding the influence of political, economic and organizational factors on the type of relationships which develop. Then, using relevant contrasting cases as determined by the survey, six states will be selected for a comparative case study designed to examine the process of relationship development between these two movement sectors. Through interviews with relevant actors and the use of organizational documents a more precise understanding of the forces governing the relations between "old" and "new" social movements will be determined.