The Oxford Handbook of U.S. Women's Social Movement Activism provides a comprehensive examination of scholarly research and knowledge on a variety of aspects of women's collective activism in the United States, tracing both continuities and critical changes over time.

Activists and politicians have long recognized the power of a good story to move people to action. In early 1960 four black college students sat down at a whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, and refused to leave. Within a month sit-ins spread to thirty cities in seven states. Student participants told stories of impulsive, spontaneous action—this despite all the planning that had gone into the sit-ins. “It was like a fever,” they said. Francesca Polletta’s It Was Like a Fever sets out to account for the power of storytelling in mobilizing political and social movements. Drawing on cases ranging from sixteenth-century tax revolts to contemporary debates about the future of the World Trade Center site, Polletta argues that stories are politically effective not when they have clear moral messages, but when they have complex, often ambiguous ones. The openness of stories to interpretation has allowed disadvantaged groups, in particular, to gain a hearing for new needs and to forge surprising political alliances. But popular beliefs in America about storytelling as a genre have also hurt those challenging the status quo. A rich analysis of storytelling in courtrooms, newsrooms, public forums, and the United States Congress, It Was Like a Fever offers provocative new insights into the dynamics of culture and contention.

This exceptional reference presents short articles on key people, events, and ideas that have shaped the history of women in the United States. Thoroughly revised and updated, the second edition features more than 100 new entries as well as, for the first time, photographs and artwork illustrating key concepts. Aimed at librarians, students, and teachers, the Handbook of American Women's History provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary view of a fascinating field of study. Arranged alphabetically, each entry is accompanied by a bibliography of primary and secondary sources to which interested readers can turn for more information. Editors Angela M. Howard and Frances M. Kavenik also provide an extensive subject/name index and end-of-entry cross-referencing to make the book an invaluable resource.

Includes sections "Book reviews" and "Periodical literature."

Social movements and Ireland is an innovative new text that aims to provide a comprehensive introduction and critical analysis of collective action in Irish society. Participation in social protest in Ireland has become a widely utilized form of political expression and has played a profoundly important role in generating the wide-ranging cultural, political, social and economic changes that have shaped Irish society in the 21st century.

After an introductory essay, the book is divided into two main sections: Biographies and Groups and Movements. 38 forerunners crucial to 20th-century radicalism are included and then profiles of 350 twentieth-century radicals are featured. Groups and Movements describes organizations, cultural and political movements, events, and campaigns that have had a marked impact on the development of radical ideas and tactics.