How to Explain a Social Movement brings together essays written by Jeff Goodwin over the past twenty years, including several award-winning papers and a number of provocative new essays that reflect on the field of social-movement studies. The collected essays draw on a wide range of empirical cases to illustrate the author's theoretical claims. Among these are the Iranian and Nicaraguan revolutions, the Communist-led Huk rebellion in the Philippines, the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and the gay and lesbian movement in the US. This book will interest and challenge students, teachers activists and general readers who want to learn more about social movements, revolutions and terrorism in the contemporary age.