Mobilization theory and new social movement theory in how each explains a social movement.

Compare and contrast resource mobilization theory and new social movement theory in how each explains a social movement.

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.

God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

Resource mobilization theory and new social movement theory offer distinct yet sometimes complementary explanations for the emergence and dynamics of social movements. Resource mobilization theory primarily emphasizes the crucial role of resources – including tangible assets like money and infrastructure, as well as intangible ones like skills, networks, and leadership – in the development and success of social movements. It views social movements as rational endeavors, akin to other social institutions, that require effective organization and the strategic deployment of these resources to achieve their goals. The focus is on how movements gain access to and utilize these resources to mobilize individuals and exert influence within the existing political structure.

In contrast, new social movement theory emerged largely in response to the perceived limitations of resource mobilization theory in explaining the rise of post-industrial social movements, such as environmentalism, feminism, and LGBTQ+ rights. It shifts the focus away from primarily material resources and political access, emphasizing the importance of identity, culture, and the construction of collective meaning in social movement formation. New social movement theory highlights how these movements often challenge dominant social norms and seek to create new identities and lifestyles, operating more within the cultural sphere and civil society than solely within the political arena. The emphasis is on shared values, consciousness-raising, and the creation of collective identities as key mobilizing factors.

While resource mobilization theory tends to view individuals as rational actors weighing the costs and benefits of participation, new social movement theory gives more weight to the shared experiences of oppression, the development of collective identities, and the articulation of grievances in shaping movement participation and goals. Resource mobilization theory often focuses on the organizational structures and strategies employed by social movement organizations (SMOs) to leverage resources for political ends, whereas new social movement theory examines the broader social movement community, including informal networks and the cultural innovations that sustain collective action. Although distinct, these theories are not mutually exclusive, and a comprehensive understanding of social movements often benefits from considering both the strategic deployment of resources and the cultural and identity-based factors that drive mobilization and shape movement goals.

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