作为多维框架的综合性理论呈现,社会运动理论围绕"何以发生、何以演化、何以收场"的生成逻辑衍生出不同理论流派。社会运动的知识传统,在欧美学界大体形成以美国的集体行为、社会运动研究和以西欧的新社会运动研究为主要理论范式。从传统社会运动理论流派及演化来看,主要包括古典的集体行为理论、理性选择理论、资源动员理论、政治过程理论、社会建构理论,等等。从西欧社会运动理论的演进来看,主要基于在对马克思主义革命理论反思和建构基础上生成的一种"后马克思主义"新社会运动理论范式。从社会运动走向新社会运动,美欧两大阵营的研究旨趣、概念命题及框架内容等呈现不同的逻辑进路。
Social movement theories which focuse on "how it happened, how it develops, how it ends " develops different schools.The many foundation and theoretical paradigm of social movement theories includes American group action and Western-European new social movement. In the perspective of traditional social movement theoretical schools and development, there are classical group action theory, rational selection theory, resource movement theory, political progress theory, social construction theory and etc. From the view of Western-European social movement development, it generated "Post-Marxism" new social movement theory based on the reflection and construction of Marxism Revolution theory. The two groups from America and Western-Europe have different logic approach, research interest, framework and concepts.