Stable Resources of Protest Movements: The Multi-Organizational Field

The natural histories and membership characteristics of two protest organizations, both conducting anti-pornography crusades, were assembled from nonparticipant observation, document research, and structured interviews with active members and other knowledgeable individuals. p]The protest organizations were found to be structurally integrated with other community organizations, particularly voluntary associations. The extent and kind of interorganizational alignments were associated with recruitment patterns, specificity of goals and strategies, member characteristics, orientations and perceptions, and with the success and duration of the two organizations. The results are interpreted with regard to “multi-organizational fields,” affiliation career patterns, and the environments and life-cycles of protest organizations.