Social movements
Quips and Quotes
One broken dream is not the end of dreaming, One
shattered hope is not the end of all, Beyond the storm
and tempests stars are gleaming, Still build your castles,
though your castles fall.
This lesson considers a form of collective behaviour that
encompasses community, provincial, national and global
issues.
Anonymous
Lesson Objectives
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What are social movements?
What are the various types of social movements?
What is the life of a social movement?
Why do social movements develop?
What are some examples of social movements?
Suggested Instructional
Strategies
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Discussion: Social movements
o Discuss the various types of social movements (reform, religious and
revolutionary) and brainstorm examples of each that have impacted our
society.
o Are revolutionary movements that invariably involve violence and aggression
ever justified?
o What are some political social movements that have affected our society?
Discussion: H uman population growth may be seen to be at the root of virtually all of
the world's environmental problems.
o Based on the information contained in the Teacher Information section,
discuss how global issues such as environmentalism and population growth
affect us here in our communities.
o How can we make a difference?
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Direct
Independent
Interactive
Indirect
Experiential
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Media Study: “Les Miserables”
o Using the lyrics and music from the musical version of Victor Hugo’s “Les
Miserables,” critique the story in terms of social movements.
o What were the issues that were raised in the story? What segments of society
were responsible for trying to right the wrongs?
o In what ways did the students attempt to have their issues addressed?
o Is violence ever justified?
o Compare and contrast the life of the social movement in “Les Miserables” with
the life of a social movement as described in the Teacher Information section.
Research: Feminism
o What is it? What are the goals of feminists? What influence or impact has
feminism had?
Research: Environmentalism
o What is it? What are the goals of environmentalists? What influence or impact
has environmentalism had?
Making Connections
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Research UNESCO and global issues that are being monitored.
Research Greenpeace as a social movement.
Research social justice.
Resources
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Website of the Green Party of British Columbia
Website of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO)
Media: “Les Miserables,” the musical.
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Lesson 4.4.4: Teacher Information
What are social movements?
Social movements are a form of collective behaviour that usually begins very slowly but then spreads and spreads, eventually
producing a formal group oriented towards bringing about social change. Social movements are an important engine of change in a
society, forcing the society to respond to long-overlooked or changing needs. Generally, a social movement is aimed at either
promoting or resisting change in society. It attracts people who feel that a problem exists, believe that something can be done about it,
and want to do something about it. Social movements are more likely to arise in a society undergoing rapid social change than in a
stable one (Alcock et al., 1998, p. 413).
What are the various types of social movements?
The goals of social movements vary from the very general (women’s equality) to very specific (preventing clear cutting in B.C.
forests). Reform movements accept the basic structure of society but seek to modify part of it, while revolutionary movements seek to
overthrow the existing social order. As a result, revolutionary movements are often driven underground, while reform movements
appear respectable and attempt to gain support through discussion and persuasion. Reform movements try to win the support of the
middle class, while revolutionary movements typically appeal to those in the oppressed or distressed group. Religious movements
such as the “Moral Majority” attempt to win political power to change the social order. Some social movements evolve into mainline
political forces, as was the case with the Parti Quebecois (Alcock et al., 1998, p. 414).
What is the life of a social movement?
A social movement often develops through a series of four stages:
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At the social unrest stage there are no definite goals, and agitators are likely to play an important role as they try to make people aware
of the shortcomings of contemporary society. The suffragette movement, the women’s liberation movement and the gay liberation
movement all began when various individuals expressed their dissatisfaction with their role in society.
During the popular excitement stage, more definite ideas about the causes of the problems and about the goals emerge. Challenges to
the contemporary social order become more frequent and powerful.
As a social movement gathers impetus, it enters the formalization stage, where it gradually takes on an organizational form, with formal
leaders, division of duties and an agenda. Policies are formalized, and a leader, likely to be a statesperson, is chosen. An ideology, or a
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collection of beliefs, myths and doctrines, develops along with it. The ideology defines and defends the goals of the group, condemns
the existing social order, outlines the policies and tactics, and contains the myths of the group.
Institutionalization is the final stage of social movements. As they gather momentum, participants in social movements are often led to
believe that their continued survival depends on being acceptable to outsiders; thus they may gradually drop their most radical ideas
(Alcock et al., 1998, p. 415).
Why do social movements develop?
It is not the actual but the relative degree of privation that is important. When people compare themselves to other appropriate groups
and find that the others are better off, this leads to frustration and resentment, and becomes the basis for the social unrest that underlies
the growth of social movements. Relative deprivation occurs at both the interpersonal and intergroup levels. However, if the
comparison stays at the interpersonal level, collective action is unlikely to emerge. By contrast, intergroup comparison may lead to
collective action. Intergroup comparison need not be in terms of housing or food or material wealth; it may reflect perceived
differences in power or status within the society (Alcock et al., 1998, p. 416).
What are some examples of social movements?
Feminism is the desire for greater equality and opportunity for females in society. While branches within the feminist movement
propose various analyses, strategies and solutions, they share a few broad ideas:
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The reality of different sexual and gender characteristics, whether appropriate or not, prescribe different roles for men and women in
the home, workplace and society generally.
Women’s subordinate role in society is based on their biology and female nature.
As a consequence of the previous factors, women constitute a “class” within society, and all women, regardless of economic social class,
are oppressed due to this shared biology and nature.
Not all women recognize the nature of their oppression.
As a result of this common quality of oppression, all women are members of a “sisterhood” or “universal womanhood”.
Sexual oppression is found in many power relationships in society (Joseph, 1998, p. 108).
Environmentalism is centered on a concern for the protection and preservation of the natural environment. Growing awareness of the
pollution of our natural resourceswater, air, soiland the collapse or extinction of various species has created a general uneasiness
among citizens. Some of the shared beliefs of a number of different environmentalist agencies and groups are:
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A deep respect for the laws of nature.
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A recognition of the intrinsic value of all life forms.
An enthusiastic embrace of both biodiversity and social diversity.
Support for an organic conception of society that acknowledges interdependence and that minimizes hierarchy and the separation
between the human and non-human worlds.
A holistic-based ethical system that draws inspiration from the natural world.
A preference for participatory democracy and political decentralization.
Support for a sustainable economy, reduced consumption, more equitable distribution, and voluntary simplification of consumption and
lifestyles (Joseph, 1998, p. 112).
In November 1992 a document entitled Warning to Humanity was released. This alarm was signed by 1500 scientists from around the
world, including 99 Nobel laureates, a dozen national academies of science, the Pontifical Academy of Science, and the director
general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The document was bold and clear,
stating that “human beings and the natural world are on a collision course,” which “may so alter the living world that it will be unable
to sustain life in the manner that we know.”
The problems facing the environment are vast and diverse. Destruction of the world’s rain forests, global warming, and the depletion
of the ozone layer are just some of the problems that will reach critical proportions in the coming decades. Their rates will be directly
affected by the size of the human population.
Human population growth may be seen to be at the root of virtually all of the world’s environmental problems. Increasingly large
numbers of people are being added to the world every year. As the number of people increases, more pollution is generated, more
habitats are destroyed, and more natural resources are used up. Even if new technological advances were able to cut in half the
environmental impact that each person had, as soon as the world’s population size doubled, the earth would be no better off than
before.
The Population Division of the United Nations predicts that the 5.63 billion humans alive in 1994 will increase to 6.23 billion in the
year 2000, 8.47 billion in 2025, and 10.02 billion in 2050. The UN’s estimate assumes that population will peak and stabilize at 11.6
billion in 2200. Others predict that numbers will continue to rise into the foreseeable future, to as many as 19 billion people in 2200.
Although it is true that rates of population increase are now much slower in the developed world than in the developing world, it
would be a mistake to assume that the population growth problem is primarily a problem of developing countries. In fact, because
larger amounts of resources per person are used in the developed nations, each citizen from the developed world has a much greater
environmental impact than does a citizen from a developing country. Conservation strategies that would not alter lifestyles but would
greatly lessen environmental impact are essential in the developed world.
Evidence now exists suggesting that the most important factors necessary to lower population growth rates in the developing world are
democracy and social justice. Studies show that population growth rates have fallen in areas where several social conditions have
been met. In these areas, literacy rates have increased, and women are given economic status equal to that of men and thus are able to
hold jobs and own property; also, birth control information is more widely available, and women are free to make their own
reproductive decisions (Centre for Social Justice, 2001).