Mobilization in Place-Based Social Movements: Identifying Participation Trajectories in Urban Housing Rights Organizations

Throughout history, organized mass social movements have played an integral role in community development. Of particular importance in the 21st century are the social movements emerging in urban areas to address place-based issues such as housing rights and gentrification. Activists in these movements aim to build community capacity by strengthening interdependence between neighbors and increasing the control that residents have over their own lives and the spaces they inhabit. For such a movement to be successful, it is necessary to involve the members of the affected community, but incentivizing these individuals’ involvement remains one of the greatest challenges of place-based social movement organizations. This research aims to identify the motivating factors for individuals when joining and engaging in the work of such organizations. Through interviews with members of the Los Angeles Tenants Union (LATU), this research builds on existing studies by determining not only the social and material factors that influence participation but also the positive, negative, or neutral influence of the organization’s political ideology on membership recruitment and engagement. The research assists in answering current questions in the housing movement as well as other community building movements about the importance of various factors on member participation