Rebellious Conservatives : Social Movements in Defense of Privilege

Rebellious Conservatives analyzes three movements, the anti-abortion/pro-life movement, the anti-illegal immigration movement, and the Tea Party, to show how perceptions of threats to their privileges drives conservative protest and how these movements seek to reshape America.

Conservative social movements such as the Tea Party are having a huge impact on American politics and social life. Unlike social movements of the past, these conservative protesters are not oppressed minorities but tend to be relatively privileged population groups. So why are they protesting? Rebellious Conservatives examines three conservative movements, the anti-abortion/pro-life movement, the anti-illegal immigration movement, and the Tea Party, to determine why conservatives engage in protest, how they justify such action, and how they seek to reshape America. Drawing upon aspects of social movement and race theory, the author shows how perceived threats to the privileges of these conservatives drives their protest, how these movements have attempted to reshape American identities to protect these privileges, and the potential implications of the success of these movements.