IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/socres/v31y2026i1p3-20.html

Towards a Beckian Approach to Social Movements: Between Surveillance and Subpolitical Counter-Power

Author

Listed:
  • Jan Andre Lee Ludvigsen

    (Liverpool John Moores University, UK)

Abstract

By drawing upon concepts from Ulrich Beck’s work on risk, reflexivity, contestation, and subpolitical power, this article produces an understanding of social movement−based critiques of surveillance and argues for the promise of Beckian (conceptual) approaches in analyses of social movements’ power. While Beck argued, in his final book, that intensified surveillance constitutes a new epoch of the ‘risk society’, characterized by global digital freedom risks , little attention has been paid to how social movements contest such risks in ‘risk societies’. Responding to calls for research on these risks’ social consequences, thus filling this lacuna, this article advances our knowledge on Beck’s social theory and surveillance-related critiques by using the empirical example of football supporter movements and their surveillance-related contestations. As argued, this case example reveals civil society, movement field coalitions, and digital freedom risks’ emancipatory potential but historical significance.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan Andre Lee Ludvigsen, 2026. "Towards a Beckian Approach to Social Movements: Between Surveillance and Subpolitical Counter-Power," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 31(1), pages 3-20, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:31:y:2026:i:1:p:3-20
    DOI: 10.1177/13607804251332488
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13607804251332488
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/13607804251332488?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gabe Mythen, 2021. "The Critical Theory of World Risk Society: A Retrospective Analysis," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 41(3), pages 533-543, March.
    2. David Kennedy & Peter Kennedy, 2007. "Preserving and Extending the Commodification of Football Supporter Relations: A Cultural Economy of Supporters Direct," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 12(1), pages 12-25, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.

      More about this item

      Keywords

      ;
      ;
      ;
      ;
      ;
      ;

      Statistics

      Access and download statistics

      Corrections

      All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:31:y:2026:i:1:p:3-20. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

      If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

      If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

      If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

      For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

      Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

      IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.