What is Social Movement ? All you need to know about social Movement .

 Introduction :-

Social movements are working together to either bring about or oppose basic shifts in an already existing society or organization.
Social movements everywhere have a significant impact on how society develops. Civil rights advocates and other visionaries, for example, who break traditional limits may cause important shifts in social policy and structures. Social movements do have an impact on public opinion, even when they are initially unsuccessful. Although Margaret Sanger's attempts to make birth control accessible were at the time viewed as radical and even immoral, one may now easily get contraceptive products in the United States.

What are the Characteristics of Social Movements?

Following are a few characteristics of social movements:

i)A social movement needs group consciousness and a sense of belonging greatly. The group members' active participation can help create this consciousness.

ii)New social, economic, and political orders are established as a result of social movements.

iii)The majority of social movements have a propensity to create new concepts that the group's members must adopt and adhere to. iv)It is clear that social movements involve group activity rather than lone wolf behavior.

v)The social movement's future is uncertain. This is due to the possibility of it lasting a long time or passing away quickly.

What are the outcome of Social Movements?

Here is the few out comes of the social movement :-

Social movements do not just happen, according to Vidya Bhushan Sachdeva . A social movement is born out of social dissatisfaction.

i) Cultural Transitions:-

                   The society is constantly evolving. In civilized civilizations, values and behavior are continually evolving. Most people come up with new ideas as a result of cultural drift. They set up a movement to spread these principles throughout society.

Some instances of cultural drift include the emergence of democracies, the liberation of women, the expansion of mass education, the abolition of untouchability, the equality of opportunity for both sexes, and the rise of secularism.

ii)Disorganization in society:-

Because changes do not occur simultaneously in all facets of the society, a changing society is, in some ways, disorganized. . Urbanization resulted from industrialization, which in turn created a host of societal issues. Confusion and uncertainty result from social disorganization because people lose their sense of identity and the previous traditions are no longer a reliable guide to behavior. They experience social isolation. There is a growing perception that the local authorities are unconcerned with their demands. People experience insecurity, confusion, and frustration. Social movements are the result of confusion and annoyance.

iii)Injustice Against Society:-

A group of people grow frustrated and alienated when they believe they have been treated unfairly. Such a sense of unfairness creates a favorable environment for social movements. Social injustice is not merely felt by the pitifully underprivileged. Any group, regardless of status, may start to believe that they are the victims of social injustice.

When faced with urban property ceiling laws or hefty taxes meant to help the poor, the upper class may feel injustice. Social injustice is a personal assessment of values. When its members believe a social structure to be unfair, it is considered unfair. Social movements therefore happen whenever a situation of this nature in society emerges. Social movements have very little probability of occurring in a society that is stable and well integrated.

Types of social Movements :-

We are aware that social revolutions can take place at the municipal, governmental, and even global levels. Exist any more classes or patterns that could aid in our understanding of them? In order to answer this question, sociologist David Abele (1966)created categories that distinguish between social movements by taking into account 1) what the movement is trying to alter and 2) how much change they are seeking. The alternative, redemptive, reformative, and revolutionary social.

1)Alternative Social Movement :-

Alternative movements frequently emphasize self-improvement and small, targeted adjustments to a person's ideas and behavior. These organizations include Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Alcoholics Anonymous, and Planned Parenthood.

2)Redemptive Social Movement :-

Redemptive movements, also known as religious movements, are "meaning seeking," targeted at a particular community, and intended to elicit inner transformation or spiritual growth in people. This description applies to some cults.

3)Reformative Social Movement:-

Social movements that advocate for reform aim to alter a specific aspect of the social order. Despite being directed at the entire population, they might just want a small change. Reformative movements include those that advocate for social change, such as the women's suffrage movement or the more recent "Buy Nothing Day," which opposes Black Friday's excessive materialism.

4)Revolutionary Movement:-

Revolutionary movements aim to drastically alter society as a whole, attempting to change every aspect of it totally. Political movements like the struggle for communism or the Civil Rights Movement serve as examples.

What are the stages of Social Movement ?

All social movements are different from each other but almost all social movement are going throng this similar stages ;

Here is the stages ;

Stage 1

Emergence:- Social movements are sparked by the impression that all is not right. Generally felt unhappiness serves as the inspiration for other movements. There are instances when a tiny vanguard (forerunner) group raises public awareness of a particular issue and makes it a salient one.

Stage-2

Coalescence:- A social movement must define itself and devise a plan for "going public" after it has arisen as a social concern. Policies and strategies must be decided by the leaders, and there should be an effort to enlist new members. At this point, mass gatherings like protests or rallies must be planned to get the public's and media's attention. To obtain the required resources, alliances with other organizations should be formed.

stage-3

Bureaucratization:- A social movement needs to adopt bureaucratic characteristics in order to gain political clout. As the movement gains traction, it begins to rely less on the skills and charm of its leaders and more on a competent team.

Movements run the risk of dissolving if they don't establish themselves in this way. A social movement can occasionally be hampered by bureaucratization as a result of leaders who are overly focused on growing the organization rather than motivating the followers to embrace change.

Stage-4 

Decline:- Social movements eventually become less significant and influential. When the movement's objectives are achieved, decline occasionally merely denotes success. A movement's downfall could also be caused by organizational elements like bad leadership, member disinterest, or oppressive authority.

A social movement may fail occasionally because the existing power structure uses various strategies to distract its leaders from their objectives, including promises of money, status, and other benefits. Organizational leaders frequently "sell out" or coopt others for their own financial gain. Repression is another factor that contributes to the demise of a social movement.
Officials who dissuade fresh recruitment and even leaders who are in prison may intimidate participants in an effort to put an end to a social movement.

FAQ

Question-1)
What are examples of social movement?

Answer:-

In the post-war period, feminism, gay rights movement, peace movement, civil rights movement, anti-nuclear movement and environmental movement emerged, often dubbed the new social movements They led, among other things, to the formation of green parties and organizations influenced by the new left.

Question-2)
What is the role of social movement?

Answer:-

Social movements are purposeful, organized groups striving to work toward a common goal. These groups might be attempting to create change (Occupy Wall Street, Arab Spring), to resist change (anti-globalization movement), or to provide a political voice to those otherwise disenfranchised (civil rights movements).

Question-3)
What is social movement in India?

Answer:-

According to Doug McAdam, Social movements are those organized efforts, on the part of excluded groups, to promote or resist changes in the structure of society that involve recourse to non-institutional forms of political participation.21-Aug-2020