- "A social movement is a loosely organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a particular goal, typically a social or political one." - "This may be to carry out a social change, or to resist or undo one."
Collective efforts to promote or resist social change, often related to issues of justice, equality, and human rights.
Definition and Types of Social Movements: Understanding what qualifies as a social movement and the various types that exist, including reform movements, resistance movements, revolutionary movements, and more.
Social Movement Theories: Exploring the different theoretical approaches that have been used to explain social movements and their success or failure, including resource mobilization, political process theory, and social identity theory.
Key Actors in Social Movements: Learning about the different actors that can play a role in social movements, including leaders, organizers, followers, allies, antagonists, and bystanders.
Intersectionality: Understanding how different identities and forms of oppression intersect in social movements, including race, gender, class, and sexual orientation, and how those intersections impact activism and social change.
Historical Context: Exploring the historical context that has shaped social movements throughout time, including the Enlightenment, the Civil Rights Movement, the Women's Suffrage Movement, and other important moments.
Sociology of Protest: Examining the ways in which protest can be understood and analyzed from a sociological perspective, including the dynamics of crowds, the impact of police and state responses, and the role of media and public opinion.
Transnational Social Movements: Understanding how social movements operate on a global scale, including the challenges of building solidarity across borders and the impact of globalization on activism.
Environmental Movements: Learning about the various movements focused on environmental issues, such as climate change, pollution, and deforestation, and how they have evolved over time.
Labor Movements: Examining the role of labor movements in history and in contemporary society, including the ways in which workers organize and advocate for better working conditions and workers' rights.
Feminist Movements: Learning about feminist movements and their fight for gender equality, including the history of the Women's Liberation Movement and modern-day movements like #MeToo.
LGBTQIA+ Movements: Understanding the history of LGBTQIA+ movements and the fight for equal rights and acceptance, including the Stonewall Riots and movements for same-sex marriage.
Anti-Racist Movements: Examining the history of anti-racist movements and their efforts to combat racial discrimination and promote racial justice, from the Civil Rights Movement to contemporary movements like Black Lives Matter.
Social Movement Organizations: Understanding the role of organizations in social movements, including non-profits, NGOs, and grassroots groups.
Media and Social Movements: Exploring the relationship between media and social movements, including the impact of media on public opinion and the ways in which social movements use media to amplify their message.
Political Implications of Social Movements: Examining the impact of social movements on politics, including the ways in which social movements can shape public policy and the response of governments to social activism.
Environmental movements: These movements aim to protect the environment and promote sustainable living. They focus on issues such as pollution prevention, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, and more.
Civil rights movements: These movements aim to promote equal rights and opportunities for marginalized groups such as racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, women, and religious minorities.
Anti-war movements: These movements aim to promote peace and oppose militarism, imperialism, and war. They focus on issues such as anti-nuclear weapon campaigns, arms control, and disarmament.
Feminist movements: These movements aim to promote gender equality and the rights of women. They work towards issues such as reproductive rights, equal pay for equal work, and domestic violence prevention.
Labor movements: These movements aim to promote the rights of workers and improve their working conditions. They focus on issues such as fair wages, job security, workplace safety, and more.
Anti-globalization movements: These movements aim to resist the globalization of the world economy and promote local economies, cultural diversity, and social justice.
Indigenous rights movements: These movements aim to promote the rights of indigenous peoples and protect their land, culture, and identity.
Animal rights movements: These movements aim to protect the rights of animals and promote their welfare. They focus on issues such as animal experimentation, factory farming, and the use of animals in entertainment.
Student movements: These movements are typically led by students and aim to promote educational reform, free speech, and student rights.
LGBTQ+ movements: These movements aim to promote the rights and well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals and fight against discrimination and prejudice.
- "It is a type of group action and may involve individuals, organizations, or both." - "They represent a method of social change from the bottom within nations."
- "Political science and sociology have developed a variety of theories and empirical research on social movements." - "Some research in political science highlights the relation between popular movements and the formation of new political parties." - "Sociologists distinguish between several types of social movements examining things such as scope, type of change, method of work, range, and time frame."
- "Modern Western social movements became possible through education (the wider dissemination of literature) and increased mobility of labor due to industrialization and urbanization." - "The freedom of expression, education, and relative economic independence prevalent in modern Western culture are responsible for the unprecedented number and scope of various contemporary social movements."
- "Social movements have been and continue to be closely connected with democratic political systems." - "Occasionally, social movements have been involved in democratizing nations, but more often they have flourished after democratization."
- "Modern movements often use technology and the internet to mobilize people globally." - "Adapting to communication trends is a common theme among successful movements."
- "Research is beginning to explore how advocacy organizations linked to social movements use social media to facilitate civic engagement and collective action."
- "They represent a method of social change from the bottom within nations." - "They may empower oppressed populations to mount effective challenges and resist the more powerful and advantaged elites."
- "They represent a method of social change from the bottom within nations."
- "Many of the social movements of the last hundred years grew up, like the Mau Mau in Kenya, to oppose Western colonialism."
- "Sociologists distinguish between several types of social movement examining things such as scope, type of change, method of work, range, and time frame." - "Some research in political science highlights the relation between popular movements and the formation of new political parties."
- "Over the past 200 years, they have become part of a popular and global expression of dissent."
- "Adapting to communication trends is a common theme among successful movements."
- "Modern Western social movements became possible through education (the wider dissemination of literature) and increased mobility of labor due to industrialization and urbanization."
- "They represent a method of social change from the bottom within nations."
- "Occasionally, social movements have been involved in democratizing nations, but more often they have flourished after democratization."
- "Social movements have been described as 'organizational structures and strategies that may empower oppressed populations to mount effective challenges and resist the more powerful and advantaged elites'."
- "Modern movements often use technology and the internet to mobilize people globally." - "Adapting to communication trends is a common theme among successful movements."
- "Sociologists distinguish between several types of social movement examining things such as scope, type of change, method of work, range, and time frame."
- "Research is beginning to explore how advocacy organizations linked to social movements use social media to facilitate civic engagement and collective action."