Social movement, a loosely organized but sustained campaign in support of a social goal, typically
either the implementation or the prevention of a change in society’s structure or values
. Although social movements differ in size, they are all essentially collective.
Social movement trade unionism is a
contemporary perspective that seeks to account for the tendency by trade unions in developing countries such as South Africa and Brazil to move beyond confining themselves to the struggle for workplace wage and working conditions to broader social, political and economic issues
(such …
So while social movements typically
strive to generate policy or cultural change
, social movements for good work to generate awareness and enact change for an issue or population in need of support and resources.
- agitation.
- resource mobilization.
- organization.
- institutionalization.
- decline/death.
Wherever they occur, social movements
can dramatically shape the direction of society
. When individuals and groups of people—civil rights activists and other visionaries, for instance—transcend traditional bounds, they may bring about major shifts in social policy and structures.
It engages in wider political struggles for human rights,
social justice and democracy
. … In this model, trade unions are not distinct from social movements and form part of a wider ecosystem of political activism that includes faith groups, civic and residents’ organizations and student groups.
What is considered a movement?
A movement is
a mixture of organization and spontaneity
. There is usually one or more organizations that give identity, leadership, and coordination to the movement, but the boundaries of the movement are never coterminous with the organizations.
Social justice unionism should:
Defend the rights of its members while fighting for the rights and needs
of the broader community and students. The interests of education workers are best served by defending public education while simultaneously working to transform it.
- Change must be framed as a crisis.
- Has to be grounded in science.
- Has to have an economic basis.
- You must have evangelists.
- Coalition building.
- Advocacy.
- Government involvement.
- Mass communication.
Social movements start
when people realize that there is a specific problem in their society that they want to address
. This realization can come from the dissatisfaction people feel or information and knowledge they get about a specific issue. … The first stage of the social movement is known as emergence.
- Essentially collective in nature: Social movement is not an individual action. …
- Planned and deliberate action: Social movements have to be preplanned to be executed effectively. …
- Ideology and objectives: A social movement is backed by an ideology.
Social impact is
the effect on people and communities that happens as a result of an action or inaction
, an activity, project, programme or policy.
We know that social movements can occur on the local, national, or even global stage. … Examples include
antinuclear groups
, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the Dreamers movement for immigration reform, and the Human Rights Campaign’s advocacy for Marriage Equality.
Deprivation, discontent, and frustration
are frequently assumed to be sufficient causes for initiating or joining a social movement. The relationship is not a simple one, however. There is little evidence that the most deprived segments of a population are the most likely to participate in social movements.
Who started the Labour movement?
Though the origin of labour movements was traced to the 1860s, first labour agitation in the history of India occurred in Bombay, 1875. It was organised under the leadership of
S.S Bengalee
. It concentrated on the plight of workers, especially women and children.
Social Movements: The Labour Movement (
1940s
-1970s) The labour movement as a social movement in in the Post-War world, during the years of Madeleine Parent’s Union years, was large and momentous and had a large impact on North America in a broad and wide context.
