12. SOCIAL MOVEMENTS

Agenda

• What are social movements?

• What affects their formation and work?

• How are they related to other collective political actors?

Definition of a Social Movement

• A social movement is defined as: "An informal collective movement of people, loosely coordinated in their actions and using flexible tactics, with some sort of leadership group to give its actions coherence"

Constitutive Elements of Social Movements

• According to Rucht (2023, p. 295), the elements of social movements include:

  • Mobilized network of groups and organizations

  • Sense of collective identity

  • Driving force for social change (either bringing about or resisting change)

  • Primarily utilize public and collective protest

Social Movements in Different Regimes

• Democracies:

  • More avenues for involvement can lessen the necessity of movements

  • Focus mainly on influencing public policy

• Autocracies:

  • Limited opportunities for action

  • Possible objectives: regime change or achieving public office

Examples of Social Movements

• Workers' Movement

• Women's Movement

• Environmental Movement

• Far-right Movements

Functions of Social Movements

• Social movements serve various functions including:

  • Indicating problems in society

  • Challenging elites and established norms

  • Demanding structural or institutional reform

  • Promoting new ideas or gradual changes in societal values

Explanations of Formation and Success

• Factors influencing the success and formation of social movements include:

  • Political Opportunity Structure: Conditions that enable or restrict movements

  • Resource Mobilization: Importance of "movement entrepreneurs" who gather and utilize resources effectively

  • Communication: Incorporates framing strategies

Relationship with Other Collective Actors

• Social movements often exist in opposition to state entities but also interact with:

  • Opponents who resist their goals

  • Allies who support their causes

  • Bystanders who may observe without engaging

• Benefit from transnationalization (Rucht, 2023, pp. 298-301)

Growing Importance of Social Movements

• Possible reasons for increased significance include:

  • Decline of conventional political representation methods

  • More educated citizenry

  • Rise of post-material values

  • Revolution in electronic communication and social media:

  • Provides organizational advantages and enhances outreach

  • Leads to polarization and filter bubbles in public discourse

Protest Activity Data (2000-2015) in Europe

• Demonstration statistics:

  • Total number of demonstrations recorded: 13,327 (43.2% of total)

  • Violent protests: 6,224 (20.17%)

  • Strikes: 5,177 (16.78%)

  • Confrontations/blockades: 2,594 (8.41%)

  • Petitions/symbolic actions: 2,450 (7.94%)

  • Other protest forms: 1,080 (3.5%)

  • Overall total: 30,852 incidents, representing 100% of sample

Issues Addressed by Protests

• Issue Frequency Breakdown:

  • Public Economic: 9,247 (29.97%)

  • Cultural Liberal: 5,240 (16.98%)

  • Political: 4,678 (15.16%)

  • Private Economic: 3,769 (12.22%)

  • Regional: 2,212 (7.17%)

  • Environmental: 2,051 (6.65%)

  • Xenophobia: 1,806 (5.85%)

  • Cultural Conservative: 903 (2.93%)

  • Other Issues: 3,339 (10.82%)

  • No Issue Identified: 1,304 (4.23%)

• Note: Total percentages do not sum to 100% because multiple issues could be recorded per event

Strengths and Weaknesses of Social Movements

• Loose Organization: Can provide flexibility or may reflect weakness in coordination

• Disrupting vs. Building: Evaluate whether movements are more about opposition or creating new solutions

• Short-term vs. Long-term: Consider the goals and sustainability of the movements over time

Concluding Remarks

• Social movements differ fundamentally in origins and functions from political parties or interest groups

• They present distinct advantages and disadvantages

• They are seen as a complement to conventional politics, helping address issues not covered by traditional entities