Sociology
Social movement
Social Movements & Collective Action
Also known as movement, syndical movement, popular movement, social movements
Sometimes ordinary people with no power on their own band together, name a shared anger, and push hard enough to force change from below: that's a social movement. The hard truth is that most movements fizzle, so studying them means asking what makes the rare few actually work. It links to Law's Must We Obey Unjust Laws? (protest often means breaking rules on purpose), the Arts' Art, Society & Identity (songs and images rally a crowd), and Technology's Energy Systems and the Power Grid, since who controls key systems shapes what protesters can pressure.
Key people
- Huda Sha'rawiEgyptian feminist and nationalist (1879–1947)
- Theda SkocpolAmerican sociologist and political scientist
- Inez Milholland(1886-1916) American suffragist, lawyer
- Raya DunayevskayaAmerican philosopher (1910-1987)
Timeline
- 1960The activism experienced in the 1960s and 1970s shuffled in a new world opinion about the subject.
- 1990Some find in the end of the 1990s the emergence of a new global social movement, the anti-globalization movement.
- 2009The 2009–2010 Iranian election protests also demonstrated how social networking sites are making the mobilization of large numbers of people quicker and easier.
Read
- Primitive RebelsEric Hobsbawm · 1959Book
- Power in movementSidney G. Tarrow · 1994Book
- Networks Of Outrage And Hope Social Movements In The Internet AgeManuel Castells · 2012Book
- The Blackwell companion to social movementsDavid A. Snow · 2004Book
Listen
- One Woman's Work for Farm Women: The Story of Mary A. Mayo's Part in Rural Social MovementsJennie BuellPodcast
- Latinx Social MovementsShayna MairoPodcast
- Grassroots Gatherings: In-depth Conversations on Social MovementsRhythm StudioPodcast
- Shana Pederson, Social Media and Social MovementsShoshana PedersonPodcast
Voices to follow
- Xavier Godàs i Pérez@xaviergodas · XPolitician and Social Scientist
- Shana L. Redmond@shanaredmond · XAmerican ethnomusicologist
- Eiji Oguma@quikion · XJapanese historian
- Gareth Joswig@garethmetik · XGerman journalist
By the numbers
- 8.2BWorld population — global, 2025 (World Bank)
- 57.8Urban (% of people) — global, 2025 (World Bank)
Debates
- What primarily drives the emergence of social movements?One view: Movements arise mainly from structural strains or grievances within society, as people react to perceived injustices. · Another: Movements emerge when organized groups can mobilize resources and exploit political opportunities, regardless of underlying grievances.Open question
- Are digital social movements as effective as traditional, offline movements?One view: Digital movements can rapidly spread information and mobilize large numbers, leading to significant real-world impact. · Another: Digital movements often lack the sustained commitment and deep collective action needed for lasting change, sometimes resulting in 'slacktivism'.Open question
Glossary
- Social movementA collective effort by a group of people to promote or resist social change.
- Collective actionCoordinated efforts by a group to achieve a common goal, often outside institutional channels.
- Resource mobilizationThe process by which social movements gather and use resources like money, members, and skills.
- Political opportunityExternal factors, such as government policies or public opinion, that influence a movement's chances of success.
- FramingHow social movements interpret and present issues to gain support and define their cause.
- CountermovementA social movement that emerges in opposition to another social movement or its goals.
Careers
Roles this can lead toward
Student research
Published policy papers by One Young India delegates — every delegate leaves published under their own name.
Threads 3
Where this connects to other fields — and why it's worth knowing.
- Civil Disobedience Law
In a harsh regime, almost everyone secretly hates it but pretends to go along, because each person thinks they're alone. That's called preference falsification, faking what you believe out of fear. Then one person openly defies the rules, everyone realizes 'wait, we all feel this way,' and the whole thing can topple in a night.
- Art, Society & Identity Arts
Before a protest movement writes a single demand, it needs a look: a raised fist, one bold color, a song everyone chants. Those things glue strangers into a 'we' faster than any speech ever could. So protest art isn't just decoration slapped on afterward, it's the actual scaffolding that holds a movement together.
- Energy Systems & the Power Grid Technology
The power grid stays steady thanks to huge, heavy spinning turbines whose weight rides out sudden jolts, like a flywheel that resists a shove. Strip that steadying mass away and one small glitch can cascade into a blackout. Societies work the same way: strip out the clubs, unions, and institutions that cushion shocks, and small sparks can throw the whole thing into chaos.