The Strong Program in Cultural Sociology and Social Movement Theory: Reflections from Latin America

Social movement scholars have paid little attention to the strong program in sociology, despite the centrality Jeffrey Alexander attaches to social movements. In this paper we first offer an overview of Alexander´s understanding of social movements. Second, we compare mainstream social movement theory with Alexander´s conception and analysis of social movements. Third, based on a selection of contemporary movements in Latin America, we show how Alexander´s cultural sociology can improve our comprehension of Latin American social movements.