Citation

Jasper JM, Young MP. Sociol. Forum 2007; 22(3): 270-299.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Eastern Sociological Society, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1573-7861.2007.00020.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

To develop inductively a preliminary list of rhetorical tools that sociologists use in their presentation of facts, we examine three general claims that are widely accepted as having been demonstrated empirically in the field of social movements: social networks are necessary for recruitment of new members; individual mental traits do not matter; and political opportunities are necessary for movement emergence. We identify eight rhetorical tools that helped promulgate these claims as facts. We all use techniques like these, but awareness about them can help us evaluate our arguments and find better ways to test them.