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Democracy in the Making offers a marvelous synthesis of sociological acumen and hope. Kathleen Blee finds that while social activists often narrow their visions of doable social change, they also can learn together and take surprising new directions with unpredictable results. A wide range of activists will recognize themselves in this book's wonderfully fine-grained portraits of politics at the grassroots. Scholars and active citizens alike will appreciate Democracy in the Making for revealing how group dynamics and past experience shape but never wholly dictate collective action. -Paul Lichterman, author of Elusive Togetherness: Church Groups Trying to Bridge America's Divisions Democracy is not just about institutions and social movements are not just about protest. As Kathleen Blee convincingly demonstrates, activists aim at constructing spaces for the development of conceptions and practices of democracy. Their democratic potentials are, however, not always fulfilled. Theoretically innovative and methodologically rigorous, this study of 69 activist groups investigates the micro-dynamics of mobilization into collective action-its successes and its failures. -Donatella della Porta, Department of Political and Social Sciences, European University Institute This book is an enormous breath of fresh air in an area that often recycles concepts and perspectives. Blee demonstrates her immense knowledge of the field of social movements and collective action but is bound by none of it. Eschewing the well-worn grooves of current perspectives in which most research is conducted, she offers a strikingly original approach to grassroots activism that will substantially reorient research in collective action and social movements. This is a path-breaking study that refocuses our attention on the processes of activism. -Marc W. Steinberg, Associate Professor of Sociology, Smith College Blee's book provides much to think about for scho

Democracy in the Making offers a marvelous synthesis of sociological acumen and hope. Kathleen Blee finds that while social activists often narrow their visions of doable social change, they also can learn together and take surprising new directions with unpredictable results. A wide range of activists will recognize themselves in this book's wonderfully fine-grained portraits of politics at the grassroots. Scholars and active citizens alike will appreciate Democracy in the Making for revealing how group dynamics and past experience shape but never wholly dictate collective action. -Paul Lichterman, author of Elusive Togetherness: Church Groups Trying to Bridge America's Divisions Democracy is not just about institutions and social movements are not just about protest. As Kathleen Blee convincingly demonstrates, activists aim at constructing spaces for the development of conceptions and practices of democracy. Their democratic potentials are, however, not always fulfilled. Theoretically innovative and methodologically rigorous, this study of 69 activist groups investigates the micro-dynamics of mobilization into collective action-its successes and its failures. -Donatella della Porta, Department of Political and Social Sciences, European University Institute This book is an enormous breath of fresh air in an area that often recycles concepts and perspectives. Blee demonstrates her immense knowledge of the field of social movements and collective action but is bound by none of it. Eschewing the well-worn grooves of current perspectives in which most research is conducted, she offers a strikingly original approach to grassroots activism that will substantially reorient research in collective action and social movements. This is a path-breaking study that refocuses our attention on the processes of activism. -Marc W. Steinberg, Associate Professor of Sociology, Smith College

<br> Kathleen Blee's study is, in my opinion, truly innovative. In numerous ways, Blee departs from traditional models of studying movements. The result is that she shifts our focus to many overlooked aspects of movements and thus opens up a whole new set of research questions...I believe that Blee's book will become a landmark work because it puts forth an alternative way to research and analyze movements. <br>--Sharon Erickson Nepstad, Professor of Sociology, University of New Mexico<p><br> Democracy in the Making is an enormous breath of fresh air in an area that often recycles concepts and perspectives. Blee demonstrates her immense knowledge of the field of social movements and collective action, but is bound by none of it. Eschewing the well-worn grooves of current perspectives in which most research is conducted, she offers a strikingly original approach to grassroots activism...Clich's aside, it is a pathbreaking study that refocuses our attention on the processes of activism.

<br> Kathleen Blee's study is, in my opinion, truly innovative. In numerous ways, Blee departs from traditional models of studying movements. The result is that she shifts our focus to many overlooked aspects of movements and thus opens up a whole new set of research questions...I believe that Blee's book will become a landmark work because it puts forth an alternative way to research and analyze movements. <br>--Sharon Erickson Nepstad, Professor of Sociology, University of New Mexico<p><br> Democracy in the Making is an enormous breath of fresh air in an area that often recycles concepts and perspectives. Blee demonstrates her immense knowledge of the field of social movements and collective action, but is bound by none of it. Eschewing the well-worn grooves of current perspectives in which most research is conducted, she offers a strikingly original approach to grassroots activism...Clich?'s aside, it is a pathbreaking study that refocuses our attention on the processes of activism

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Kathleen M. Blee is Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh. A renowned scholar of activism in the U.S., from the left to the far-right, her work on racist movements is published in the award-winning books, Inside Organized Racism: Women in the Hate Movement and Women of the Klan: Racism and Gender in the 1920s.

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