Lecture 12 Social Movements

Definition: Social change refers to the transformation of a culture over time.

Definition: A social movement is any social group that possesses leadership, organization, and an ideological commitment aimed at promoting or resisting social change.

Definition: Activism encapsulates any activity intended to bring about social change.

Progressive Movements:
- Definition: Progressive is a term that describes efforts to promote forward-thinking social change.
Regressive Movements:
- Definition: Regressive refers to resistance against particular social changes, efforts dedicated to maintaining the status quo, or attempts to re-establish an earlier form of social order.

Mention of The Economist article discussing whether incels are a threat. Part of the regressive movements discussion.

Lilla Watson, Indigenous Australian Activist and Organizer:
- "If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."

Focus: Targets the underlying causes of social problems.
Approach: Addresses issues at a deeper level, treating the "disease" rather than the symptoms.
Strategies: Involves long-term strategies to change policies and laws.
Nature of Action: Public and collective action. Seeks to eliminate the need for charity to fulfill people’s needs.

Focus: Concentrates on the effects of injustice and inequality, acting at surface levels to address symptoms.
Approach: Provides immediate relief to individuals in need.
Nature of Action: Often involves private, individual actions and will always be necessary until systemic injustice is fully eliminated.

Community organizing is a method to build collective power.
It involves a process wherein people unify to address a shared problem in their mutual self-interest.
It includes cooperative efforts and campaigning aimed at promoting the interests of the community.
Community organizing forms the backbone of how social movements are established.

Issues: There are no permanent allies or enemies—only permanent issues to tackle.
Power: The struggle focuses on the “have-nots” reclaiming power from the “haves.”
Participation: The work is a collective endeavor, done alongside community members rather than on their behalf.
Relationships: Trust-building through relationships is crucial, as opposed to transactional interactions.
Leadership: The development of community members into leaders is vital for propelling the work forward.

Reflections on Studying Sociology:
- Studying sociology can sometimes be disheartening, symbolically referred to as the “end of innocence.”
- The sociological imagination reveals how individual lives are often constrained by social forces and institutional structures.
- C. Wright Mills famously noted that the “intersection of biography and history” functions as a two-way street; while society influences individuals, individuals also have the power to shape society.

Exam Structure: The final exam will consist of 40 questions that are a mix of multiple choice and true/false.
Content Focus: The exam will cover course material that is not cumulative, focusing specifically on:
- Lectures 7-12
- Textbook chapters 9-14, 16
Study Recommendations:
- For Lectures 7-10: Review Quiz 3 and 4 alongside relevant lectures/readings.
- For Lectures 11-12: Focus on health and illness, issues in health care, social change, social movements, the justice vs charity model, and community organizing.
- Only concepts discussed during class and included in lecture slides will be assessed—text readings not emphasized in class are excluded.
Exam Conditions: Open note and open book; electronic devices are not allowed during the exam.