Occupational Activism
Conceptual Distinctions and Theoretical Frameworks
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7474773 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jonathan S Coley (0000-0002-0829-6171, Oklahoma State University, corresponding author), Jessica L Schachle-Gordon (0000-0001-6938-5541, Stephen F. Austin State University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 3-24 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Work and Occupations (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0730-8884 • E-ISSN: 1552-8464 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/07308884251398006 |
| OpenAlex | W4416368255 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 68 |
Occupational activism refers to socially transformative action pursued through one's occupational role or community. In this introduction to Work and Occupations ’ special issue on “Working for Social Change,” we clarify how occupational activism is distinct from other concepts such as social movement activism, labor movement activism, institutional activism, and professional activism. We also identify several theoretical frameworks from adjacent fields that can be repurposed and applied to the study of occupational activism, including social movement theory, organizational inequality theories, and street-level bureaucracy theory. Altogether, our article offers a foundation for future research on activism in and through the world of work
A Generation Divided
Dignity at Work
Forces of Labor
The Power Resources Approach
Beyond the Beat
A Hero for the Aged? The Townsend Movement, the Political Mediation Model, and U.S. Old-Age Policy, 1934-1950
Power in Movement
Pathways to Modes of Movement Participation
Solidarity as Resistance
Institutional Activism
Creating Secular Spaces
Cisgendered Organizations
Analyzing Trans and Nonbinary Workers’ Response to Workplace Discrimination
How Worker Centers Organize Low-Wage Workers
I Think That’s the Norma Rae in Me”
How Educational Opportunity Structures Shape the Presence, Forms, and Outcomes of Campus Activism
Fighting “Frankenfoods”
Narrative and Frame Alignment in Social Movements
Making Good News
The Economics of Movement Success
Platform affordances, discursive opportunities, and social media activism
Religion at the Frontline
Tactics and Targets
Movement Framing and Discursive Opportunity Structures
Differential Participation in Professional Activism
Why We March
Preparation Pathways and Movement Participation
Social movements as schooling for careers
If I'm going to be an ally, I have to walk the walk
Unlikely Organizers
The Biographical Consequences of Activism
A Dynamic Process Model of Private Politics
A Theory of Racialized Organizations
Conceptualizing Political Opportunity
Process and Protest
Structural Social Change and the Mobilizing Effect of Threat
Social Movement Insiders
Gendered Organizations as Heterosexualized Organizations
Hierarchies, Jobs, Bodies
Inequality Regimes
How White Workers Navigate Racial Difference in the Workplace
An Overview of US Workers' Current Organizing Efforts and Collective Actions
The New Labor Activism, a New Labor Sociology
Race, Repression and the Future of New Labor Activism
Occupational Activism and the New Labor Activism
Labor Unbound? Assessing the Current Surge in Labor Activism
From Movements to Managers
Public Dramas and the Politics of Justice
The US Labor Movement
The Political Consequences of Social Movements
Walking the Moral Tightrope
Striking News
Discursive Opportunities and the Evolution of Right-Wing Violence in Germany
Recruitment to High-Risk Activism
Working-Class Power, Capitalist-Class Interests, and Class Compromise
The Cultural Field of Queer Nightlife
Movement for Black Lives at Work? Racial Justice Spillover, Labor Organization, and New Worker Militancy
Beyond the Numbers
Sad Puppies and SJWs
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |