ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes the collective behavior and conversion which provide energy for action, but action itself is facilitated by organization. It wrestles with the problem of formulating a powerfully fruitful and generic specification of types of social movement organization. While discerning a set of organizational forms whose knowledge also communicates nonobvious generalizations about their respective causes, likely careers, coalition behavior, distinctive weaknesses, proclivities for action, strengths etc. The book focuses on the effort to conceptualize a limited range of fundamental forms. It tries to push beyond the religious-political-ego distinctions to specifying fully generic forms at the level of the movement organizations (MO) local, the small and operating ends of an MO. The book focuses on the detailed case study of an organizational form and its career dynamics.
