Social welfare movements and collective action : lessons from two UK housing cases

This paper draws on studies of the black minority ethnic voluntary housing movement and of squatters to develop some perspectives on the aims, characteristics and interpretation of 'social welfare movements' in the period since 1960. While much has been written on so-called 'new social movements' in Europe and North America, connections remain underdeveloped between social movement theories and collective action in specific UK policy fields. At the same time, British housing scholars do not often link their detailed empirical material with any of the key strands of contemporary theoretical debates on social movements. This paper suggests that the notion of social welfare movements is potentially applicable in the housing field in Britain, and that particular housing histories may be helpful for further development of propositions or theories about movements.