Research in Social Movements, Conflict, and Change (RSMCC) - call for chapters

Guest Editors: Rachel L. Einwohner and Michelle I Gawerc

Deadline: 01 May 2025

How to submit

Coalition-Building and Solidarity Across Difference

Coalitions are among the most important tactical tools available for social movements, as they enable the sharing of networks, resources, expertise, and information, while simultaneously projecting an image of power through unity and numbers. Diverse coalitions are perceived to be particularly important, as they hold the potential for drawing in new audiences and building a broader movement, making more powerful statements and bridging divides in society while also fostering innovation and creativity, which may offer strategic advantages. Yet diverse alliances face tremendous challenges not limited to building a unifying collective identity and forging a common agenda (including tactical agreement, and a shared framing strategy). 

Similarly, social movement organisations and peacebuilding organisations in societies engulfed in protracted conflict have often sought to work across divides, sometimes succeeding and sometimes not. Oftentimes, these organisations struggle to diversify or to sustain a diverse membership. Power asymmetry particularly often poses challenges leading to claims that these organisations replicate the existing hierarchies in the larger environment.

In the last two decades, particularly, progress has been made with regards to assessing how alliances can form and sustain themselves across difference, inequality, and even lines of protracted conflict. This volume seeks to further this critical work.

This volume welcomes any submissions related to coalition-building, working across difference and inequality, intersectionality practices, and/or solidarity building across divides. By “coalitions,” we envision discussions related to both coalitions between formal organisations, such as SMOs, as well as coalition-building within groups and organisations. Of the latter, we are interested in studies of diversity and inclusion in social movements and approaches that take intersectionality into account. We are open to a variety of methodologies, including but not limited to quantitative studies as well as qualitative studies such as ethnographies, case studies, interview-based research, mixed methods, and archival work. We seek both historical and contemporary studies, from all parts of the globe. As part of RSMCC’s commitment to publish scholarly works with implications for building a more socially just and peaceful world, we would also be enthused to receive first-person accounts from activists or peace builders describing coalition efforts that have worked in the field, as well as those that have not. 

Please note: Academic submissions must conform to traditional social science expectations with literature reviews and methods sections. First person essays written by activists or peacebuilders should connect to the broad theme of the volume but need not have extensive literature reviews or methods sections.

Submissions that address the following questions are particularly welcome—but submissions are not limited to the following:

How do social movements, coalitions, social movement organisations, or peacebuilding organisations diversify their memberships? 

• What works and what doesn’t?     
• What challenges do they face? 
• What increases their chance of successfully diversifying? 

How are alliances developed and sustained across difference?

• How do they conceptualise and/or construct a unifying identity? 
• How is solidarity fostered across divides? 
• What factors enable them to reach agreement on a shared agenda that excites the various members, including the tactics and frames employed, rather than just choosing the lowest common denominator? 
• What facilitates groups to manage and work effectively across inequalities and power asymmetries, and even polarised divides, if desired? 
• How do they sustain themselves, to the degree desired? 
• What allows them to be successful in the pursuit of their goals? 
• What challenges do they face and what dilemmas arise in the process? 
• What impact does the environment and/or movement targets have on diverse alliances? 
• How do coalition members affect each other?
• What advantages does the diverse membership offer?

About the Series

RSMCC is a fully peer-reviewed series of original research that has been published annually for over 40 years. We continue to publish the work of many of the leading scholars in social movements, social change, nonviolent action, and peace and conflict studies. Although RSMCC enjoys a wide library subscription base for the book versions, all volumes are published not only in book form but are also available online through Emerald Social Science eBook Series Collection via subscribing libraries or individual subscriptions. This ensures wider distribution and easier access to your scholarship while maintaining the book series at the same time. This title is indexed in Scopus and volumes from this series are included in the Thomson Reuters Book Citation Index.