Individual and Rationality in the Analysis of Social Movements and Political Participation in Latin America

• Published in: Estudios sociológicos (Mexico City, Mexico) Vol. 12; no. 36; pp. 557 - 579
• Main Author: Tanaka, Ricardo Martin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: 01-09-1994
• Subjects: Collective Action; Latin America; Methodology (Philosophical); Political Participation; Rationality; Social Movements; Sociological Theory
• ISSN: 0185-4186

Traditionally, sociological theory in Latin America was approached through a methodological collectivism in which entities to which the individual belongs -- the social system in structural functionalism & social classes in structural Marxism -- were studied. However, these approaches have proven inadequate for studying social movements that do not fit neatly within either a social system or a class. As an alternative, the individual & his/her rationality are taken as a unit of analysis in the study of social reality, focusing on the mobilization of resources, social movements, & the participation of the popular sectors in Latin American politics. A weak model of rationality allows the incorporation of political & structural variables; in the weak mode, the individual follows the course of action to maximize the welfare of his/her group of interest. Types of collective action are constituted by the interaction of social networks, allowing mobilization of resources across time, with the structure of political opportunity. 1 Table, 49 References. Adapted from the source document.