We must first look at what constitutes a social movement to assess the likelihood that the recent Hip-Hop Summit protests will develop into a full blown social movement. One perspective on the origins of social movements can be referred to as social strain theory. There are a few different variations of strain theory (mass society theory, collective behavior theory, and relative deprivation), which have in common the idea that the "strain" indirectly leads to mobilization on the part of the individuals, who are then motivated to join movements. …
