Social Movements and Network Analysis: A Case Study of Nineteenth-Century Women's Reform in New York State

This article examines organizational affiliations of 19th-century women reform leaders in New York State as a case study of relations among social movements. Network analysis techniques are used for the construction of matrices that (1) map the interconnections between organizations, (2) measure the intensity and directionality of those interconnections, (3) illuminate clusters of proximate organizations, and (4) identify groups central to the clusters. The matrices show the primacy of suffrage and women's rights to reform activity during the period under study (1840-1914). Peak analysis finds important clusters of relations organized around the Women's Trade Union League,Garrisonian abolitionism, and Sorosis. Finally, directional analysis shows that women's organizing efforts can be divided into three distinct periods of activity between 1840 and 1914, with significant changes in the relations among organizations from period to period. The conclusion discusses the theoretical implications of these findings.