Analysing the temporalities of collective action via the morphogenetic régulation: the case of the Notre-Dame-des-Landes movement

This article argues that social movement studies need a trans-immanent approach to better understand the persistence of collective action over time. Existing literature, based on immanent accounts of substance, fails to explain why social movements persevere. Immanence, by reducing substance to observable attributes, overlooks the complex causality at play in social phenomena. A trans-immanent perspective, as demonstrated through the morphogenetic régulation (MR) framework, offers a deeper insight into how social movements evolve. The case of the Notre-Dame-des-Landes (NDDL) movement in France highlights the utility of this approach. By applying MR to the NDDL movement, this study shows how the framework captures the interaction between the movement's internal dynamics and external factors shaped by political economic conditions. MR provides the tools to analyze the environment of social movements from a political economy viewpoint, helping researchers uncover the hidden causes of collective action.