Moblilizing for Dignity: Recognition and Social Movements

How do we understand the world wide spread of social movement of our age, from various fundamentalisms to the progressive thrusts of Arab Spring to Occupy. How have such movements fared? We will argue that the roots of these movement can be found in the consequences of neo liberalism that has not only fostered greater inequality and hardship for most, but its crises have migrated to the realms of subjectivity, emotion and motivation.  Our analysis is rooted in Marxist critique of alienation, Lukacs critique of reification, Habermas on legitimation crisis, New Social Movement Theory and recent development in sociology of emotion. We will argue that these movements not simply for better economic conditions, but to overcome the adversities of a lack of recognition of a meaningful identity that in turn has fostered anger, indignation and even hope. But these assaults to one's identity also foster hope that leads people to social mobilizations.