Political Assassination and Social Movement Outcomes
Martin Luther King and the Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2363541 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Claire Whitlinger (0000-0001-7342-2050, Furman University, Greenville, SC, USA, corresponding author), Joe Fretwell (University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 455-474 |
| Publication date | 2019-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sociological Perspectives (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0731-1214 • E-ISSN: 1533-8673 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0731121419842116 |
| OpenAlex | W2945509379 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 51 |
Despite a growing literature on social movement leadership, few studies consider how assassination shapes movement trajectories. Using event structure analysis, this study examines whether and how the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. propelled the struggling Sanitation Workers' Campaign to success. It finds that King's assassination can be understood as a 'turning point' in the Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike and distills four mechanisms connecting King's assassination to the strike's ultimate outcome: the assassination precipitated some repressive local policies while diminishing others; evoked moral outrage, further mobilizing sympathetic third parties and enhancing external resources; intensified economic and reputational concerns, provoking pressure from the local business community on local political authorities; and provided access to federal resources, enabling local political actors to 'save face.' These findings extend previous research on assassinations' outcomes, finding that external factors are, indeed, salient, significantly shaping movement trajectories in the aftermath of political assassinations of charismatic leaders
Charisma · Martin luther king · Memphis · Outrage · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sanitation · Social movement · Sociology · American History and Culture · American Political and Social Dynamics · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Public Administration
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |