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  Altruistic Fear

  Karen A. Snedker

  "Researchers have identified patterns related to altruistic fear, most notably variation by sex. Although both men and women express fear for others, the type and frequency of altruistic fear differ for men and women, as does the object of concern (e.g., spouses, children). Similarly, what one does in response to fear for others is also different for men and women. Studies trace these sex differences in altruistic fear to parallel gendered patterns in personal fear of crime, as well as to gendered social roles and deeply structured divisions of caretaking (Snedker, 2006). This research provided an organizational framework for the field which differentiates among the objects of fear of crime – spousal fear, parental fear, and general fear for others – and between the expression of fear for others and behavioral responses to that fear."

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  An Extreme Response to Globalization: The Case of Racist Skinhead Youth

  Peter Simi and Barbara Brents

  "In this chapter we argue that a global dissemination of skinhead style allowed local youth across the United States (and in various other countries) to adopt what was originally a British youth subculture... Although skinhead origins were uncoordinated reactions to globalizing trends, the subsequent growth of the skinhead movement was fostered by specific and conscious actions on the part of skinhead activists to global technologies in order to grow the movement."

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  Alien Attraction: The Subculture of UFO Contactees and Abductees

  Christoper Bader

  Bader details the history of alien contact and abduction stories, then probes into the two sides of the UFO subculture: contactees vs. abductees. Contactees tend to view alien encounters positively and often imbue them with themes of the sacred, while abductees report nonconsensual and negative encounters, often involving humiliating medical procedures. He delves into the different types of aliens reported by those who claim to have made contact, as well as claims of inserted implants and breeding experiments. Finally, he examines the evolution of the UFO subculture and the growing reflection on mankind's relationship to its supposed alien visitors, as well as the sociological factors that draw people into the UFO subculture.

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  Transnational Organizing and the Race to the Bottom: Labor Struggles and Globalization from Below

  Victoria Carty

  The two current trends of democratization and deepening economic liberalization have made Latin American countries a ground for massive defensive mobilization campaigns and have created new sites of popular struggle. In this edited volume on Latin American social movements, original chapters are combined with peer-reviewed articles from the well-regarded journal Mobilization. Each section represents a major theme in Latin American social movement research. Original chapters discuss the Madres de Plaza de Mayo movement in Argentina and the Zapatista movement in Chiapas, Mexico. Also included in the book's coverage of the region's major movements are los piqueteros and ant-isweatshop labor organizing. This is the first study to focus closely on the related issues of neoliberal globalization, democratization, and the workings of transnational advocacy networks in Latin America.

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  Hate Groups or Street Gangs?: The Emergence of Racist Skinheads

  Peter Simi

  "This chapter examines the early development of Southern California skinheads (1981-1985) in relation to the larger sociohistorical context of gang formation. Racist skinheads are shown to parallel conventional gangs along three dimensions: (1) organizational structure, (2) territoriality and group conflict, and (3) participation in nonspecialized criminal activity."

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  European Farmers and Their Protests

  Evelyn Bush and Peter Simi

  "In this chapter, we explore how the establishment of the European Union has influenced the face of contentious politics within European agriculture. Specifically, we analyze agricultural protests that occurred between 1992 and 1997, in order to gain a better understanding of how national governments and citizens have responded to changes brought about by European integration....In particular, we are interested in the forms that European farmers' protests have taken, with an eye for evidence of 'Europeanization,' 'domestication,' and 'transnationalization' of protest. Our results provide a picture of the forms Europeans' farmers protests have taken since the MacSharry reforms in 1992."

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  Resisting Globalization: Notes on the Seattle Uprising

  Steven Pfaff

  "The world seems to have been startled by recent events in Seattle. Between November 29th and December 3rd the city was gripped by unexpectedly powerful protests against the World Trade Organization meeting in the city. By now the conflict and chaos into which the conference descended - both in the streets outside the Washington State Convention Center and within it - are widely acknowledged. Not only did the WTO fail to agree upon an agenda for the next round of international trade liberalization and left the city in frustration, but Seattle presented a picture of urban protest rarely seen since the days of the Vietnam war. Images of Seattle Police, King County Sheriffs, State Troopers and National Guardsmen dressed in riot gear, helmets and gas masks firing tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets into the ranks of largely peaceful - if uncooperative - protesters flashed around the world. WTO delegates expressed anger and befuddlement at the disruption these noisy exercises in democracy were generating, while editorials in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal railed against the 'Seattle zanies,' anarchists, later-day hippies, and other allegedly misinformed opponents of free trade that were spoiling the important work of the organization."