Content 9 Human Adaptation and Social Change

Topic 5 Response to Change: Social Movements

Topic 5: Response to Change: Social Movements

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this lesson, the learners should be able to:

 explain the concept of social movements;

 discuss how social movements emerged;
 define and clarify the kinds of social movements; and
 elaborate how social movements persuade the people to support their causes.

Questions:

 Why do certain groups of people want to change the society?

 How do these groups carry out their objectives to resist or effect change in the society?

Social Movement
Some citizens do not always accede to how their society is structured. They would reckon that there are better ways to
live so they would then gather together to form a social movement. A social movement is a large group of individuals
congregating to either effect or prevent social changes.

Social movements express the dissatisfaction of the people in a given society. Feeling strongly about a particular cause,
the members usually feel that they are deprived, resenting their living conditions, and demanding improvements. Vastly
organized, they intend to transform the society by influencing public opinion and government policy-making.

Modern social movements utilize the Internet and social media to mobilize the people globally, facilitating civic
engagement and collective action. These groups do not always succeed though because total government control (like
banning them), public ridicule, and co-optation (or winning over a social movement) occur.

Emergence of Social Movements

Social movements began in England in the late 18th century. John Wilkes, a controversial political figure, vigorously
disputed the government in defense of the impoverished. The Society for the Supporters of the Bill of Rights in 1769 is
considered as the first social movement involving public conferences, the unprecedented dissemination of pamphlets, and
protests.

German sociologist Lorenz von Stein introduced the term "social movements" in 1848. Demanding reform, the Russian
Revolution of 1917 was carried out by the poor, resulting to labor, socialist, and communist movements.

The New Social Movements emerged after World War II. With radical reform and change desired, the rights which these
groups advocate are for women, the gay, peace, civil, pro-choice, anti-nuclear, anti-globalization, and the environment. It
was termed New Social Movement because it departed from the traditional social movements which is focused on
economic issues. The New Social Movement that is very evident in the 1960s is focused more on values and social
identities mentioned above.

Understanding Culture, Society and Politics Page 1

Content 9 Human Adaptation and Social Change
Topic 5 Response to Change: Social Movements

Kinds of Social Movements

Social movements come in diverse forms.

1. Conservative movements
resist changes in the society like the anti-technology group, Luddites

2. Reactionary movements
defend returning to traditional lifestyles as demonstrated by the Ku Klux Klan

3. Reform movements
support change like the marriage-opposed Free Love Movement

4. Radical movements
replace existing social orders with a totally different social or political structure like the American Civil Rights
Movement, the Occupy Movement, Black Lives Matter, and the Arab Spring

5. Expressive movements
aim to improve their members' lives, not necessarily imposing their ideas on others like the Hippie Movement

6. Escapist movements
advocate retreating from the society through isolation like religious cults

7. Assimilationist movements
help minority groups become absorbed in the mainstream society, demanding equal treatment

8. Pluralist movements
defend respect for diversity like the gay rights movement

9. Alternative movements
influence the people to change their lifestyles like the vegans

10. Group-focus movements

concentrate on changing factions, transforming into or joining a political party

Persuading the People to Support Social Movements' Causes

Members of social movements seek adherents through various means.

 Advertisements, films, speeches, and posters are utilized to carry out educational persuasion.
 Political persuasion involve financing political candidates' campaigns, running for public office, or persuading
government officials.
 Direct or violent tactics involve social movements taking matters into their own hands through extreme
measures like boycotting a business employing slave workers, demolishing abortion clinics, and liberating animals
from experimental laboratories.
 Non-violent tactics involve civil disobedience like Mohandas Gandhi's peaceful protest against the British
imperialists.

Key Points:

 A social movement is a large group of individuals congregating to either effect or prevent social changes.
Members express the dissatisfaction of the people, seeking to transform the society by influencing public opinion
and government policy-making.
 Modern social movements utilize the Internet and social media to mobilize the people globally, facilitating civic
Understanding Culture, Society and Politics Page 2
Content 9 Human Adaptation and Social Change
Topic 5 Response to Change: Social Movements

engagement and collective action. However, these groups do not always succeed because total government
control (like banning them), public ridicule, and co-optation (or winning over a social movement) occur.
 Social movements began in England in the late 18th century. John Wilkes, a controversial political figure,
vigorously disputed the government in defense of the impoverished. The Society for the Supporters of the Bill of
Rights in 1769 is considered as the first social movement involving public conferences, the unprecedented
dissemination of pamphlets, and protests. German sociologist Lorenz von Stein coined the term "social
movements" in 1848.
 The New Social Movements emerged after World War II which focuses more on values and social identity which
is different from the traditional social movement which focuses on economic issues.
 Social movements come in diverse forms such as conservative movements, reactionary movements, and
assimilationist movements.
 Social movements use educational, political, direct, and non-violent tactics to persuade people to support
their causes.

Activity:
Group yourselves into five members each. Every group will brainstorm about a social problem or situation which needs
change, improvement, or elimination. Then, you will establish your own social movement, giving it a name and explaining
how it can help address a particular social issue which, in your view, needs to be altered, developed, or banned for the
benefit of the majority. You may also plan a way on how to act on this. This activity should enable you to further
understand the concept of social movements and their purposes.

Points for Reflection:

 A group of parents of high school students coalesced to form a radical social group, You Are Beautiful without
these Magazines Movement, banning the sale of beauty magazines to teenage women in their city. According to
their spokesperson, reading beauty magazines promote low self-esteem among teenage readers and creates
pressure among them to unconsciously copy what they read. These images, according to the parents, are
unrealistic, making their children unable to be happy with their appearances, focusing more on the superficial
instead of the important aspects of life like moral values and intelligence.
Do you think the parents are correct with regards to their position on the sale of beauty magazines to teenage
readers? Do you think their social movement is justified?

 How do you think can social movements and the government reach a compromise? In what other ways can
governments improve a particular social order so that citizens do not feel dissatisfied or marginalized?

Understanding Culture, Society and Politics Page 3