Doctoral Dissertation Research: Institutions and Dominance within Social Movements: How Legal Strategies Shape the Agendas of Movements for Social Change

尽管诉讼在许多当代社会运动的策略中发挥着核心作用，但令人惊讶的是，人们对社会运动参与者采用诉讼策略的条件或诉讼如何塑造运动的实质性议程知之甚少。现有的研究表明，诉讼吸引了巨大的宣传和政治关注，提高了使用它的运动参与者的知名度和地位。然而，诉讼可能同时分散对使用法外策略的运动参与者的关注，使他们的观点和主张边缘化。本研究项目调查是什么因素导致社会运动参与者追求诉讼而不是其他策略（例如，立法游说，服务提供或抗议），以及诉讼作为一种社会运动策略如何塑造运动的优先事项及其实质性目标。该项目理论上位于最近的法律和社会运动文献。研究计划包括组织、机构和政府文件的编码，以及对社会运动参与者的采访。通过该项目产生的数据将扩展有关社会运动中的战略选择的知识。此外，通过研究诉讼如何主导社会变革的其他策略，本研究准备阐明更大的理论问题，即社会运动参与者如何加强现有的法律制度，即使他们将诉讼作为一种抵抗策略。

Although litigation plays a central role in the strategies of many contemporary social movements, surprisingly little is known about the conditions under which social movement actors adopt litigation strategies or how litigation shapes a movement's substantive agenda. Existing research has shown that litigation attracts enormous publicity and political attention, increasing the visibility and standing of movement actors who use it. However, litigation may simultaneously detract attention from movement actors who use extra-legal strategies, marginalizing their perspectives and claims. This research project investigates what factors cause social movement actors to pursue litigation over other tactics (e.g., legislative lobbying, service provision, or protest) and how litigation, as a social movement tactic, shapes movements' priorities and their substantive goals. The project is theoretically situated in the recent law and social movement literature. The research plan involves coding of organizational, institutional and government documents as well as interview with social movement actors. The data generated through this project will expand knowledge regarding strategic choice in social movements. Furthermore, by examining how litigation comes to dominate other strategies for social change, this research is poised to illumine larger theoretical questions about how social movement actors can reinforce existing legal institutions, even as they deploy litigation as a strategy of resistance.