Within
the society in which we live, we observe the existence of certain groups or
social groups with particular objectives which seeks to achieve them by lawful
or illegitimate means.
Some
groups, for example, seek social reforms within society, such as women's
reform, education or health, and are called "social movements."
A
second type concerns political affairs and popular uprisings, and it is called
"Political movements."
A
third type is the reform of religious affairs and calls for a return to
religious origins, such as religious extremism movements called “religious
movements’’.
Social
Movement Appearance
Social
movements, occurring in every society, past or present, social movements, then,
represent a particular culture, which maybe a reform of the society or an
extreme counter-party, grapple with values and
norms within the wider society.
These
movements usually occur as a result of blatant dissatisfaction with the current
situation, with the aim of profound change within the social structure. The
movement is based on its commitment to change on the conscious will of the
members to whom it joins.
The
general concept of a "social movement" are a series of actions and
deliberate collective efforts carried out by a number of people in order to
achieve a certain goal, or set of common goals. This effort is aimed at
modifying or changing an existing social situation.
This
collective actions aimed at establishing a new system of life, due to sense of
dissatisfaction with the prevailing pattern and the desire to create a new
pattern.
Therefore,
social movements tend to the public, and grow during times of economic
recession or military defeats. Such circumstances may well be favorable to
individuals joining social movements in different directions.
The
social movement it needs a specific model of organization, and it is based on
customs, traditions, leadership, a set of values and social roles.
The Emergence of Social Movements
In history, many researchers link the emergence of social movements to a range of events in Europe, especially those of labor protests against mechanization, with the beginnings of an industrial revolution and the emergence of a liberal society between the 18th and 19th centuries.
These
protests were characterized by violence. However, the intellectual and cultural
development of European societies, in addition to the expansion of
urbanization, led to the emergence of civic frameworks that adopt less violent
and peaceful forms of struggle to express the demands of some social groups
such as associations and trade unions.
In
sociology, Chelles Tilly argues that social movements did not begin until the
18th century, when many European countries and the United States of America
because of the rise of a range of economic, social and political
transformations.
In
this context, the French Revolution, and the Haitian Revolution of 1803, and
the Revolution for the Constitution in Bologna in 1791 can be considered among
the first social movements.
It
is believed that the German scientist Lorenzfon Stein was the first to use the
term "social movements" in his book "Socialist and Communist
Movements since the French Revolution" in 1848, but other sources refer to
the emergence of this term in the literature of humanities before that, 19th
century, in both England and the United States of America.
Forms and Sources of Social Movements
Any
attempt to classify forms of social movements must take into account several
factors, including: the nature of the commitment to political change and the
organizational form that the movement may take, as well as the diversity and
multiplicity of principles it may adopt.
Similarly,
one social movement may take on different organizational forms; nationalist,
class, reformist and revolutionary movements may express themselves in the form
of political parties, lobbying groups, or global syndicates.
In
this light, it is possible to refer to several forms of contemporary social
movements, such as the social, religious, national, racial and labor movements.
Religious Social Movements
Religion
is an important source of religious social movements; the religious movement is
a group that advocates religious thought that differs from that of society.
Religious movements have emerged since ancient times.
During
the reformist revolution led by Martin Luther, an extreme movement emerged with
the aim of radical changes in Western society. The religious movement usually
begins by criticizing mainstream religious thought, ending up criticizing the
political system. Therefore, they are called for change rejects reality.
National Social Movements
"Nationalism"
is an important source of social and political movements. Nationalism as a
political concept is based on different foundations. Cultural, linguistic and
religious considerations may be an important source of many national movements,
as in France, the Middle East and Africa.
These
movements usually begin with the emergence of groups of national intellectuals
who seek to highlight the distinct national character of their nationalities
and to try to gain an independent political character.
There
is no doubt that national movements played an important role in combating
colonialism in developing countries during the period of colonial rule of these
countries.
Therefore,
it can be said that the national movement in developing societies was one of
the outcomes of the conflict, in order to achieve independence. They also
stemmed from the nature of the problems facing these societies after achieving
independence, their need to build a cohesive nation and achieve economic and
social independence.
Racist Social Movements
Race
plays an important role in the formation of racist social movements, where race
can be seen as an expression of a human group with similar characteristics,
most notably skin color.
These
movements aim to change racial perceptions between races, one of which claims
to be superior to the other, and all its members are people who hold these
races and share the ideas and problems they face because of their race.
Racial
intolerance was based on myths that supported the domination of a race over
other races and justified clear practices of persecution of vulnerable racist
groups. Although history has witnessed many racist movements, the most
prominent were “The Black Movement for Equality with Whites”.
Workers'
Social Movements
The
working class was an important source of many vital social movements, through
labor protests over exploitative industrial labor system, low wages, and long
working hours.
Labor
movements played a prominent role in the social welfare of workers, and many of
them were the result of the ideas adopted by the socialist parties, which
raised the principle of equality and equal opportunities.
However,
as some sociologists say, labor movements have lost much of the enthusiasm of
the working class towards the social goals and principles and the distinctive
culture of these movements.
Social
Movement Importance
Social
movements are important for countries with all their classifications, where we
face different and complex social phenomena. Perhaps what happened in the Arab
spring revolutions, which are conscious of the traditional frameworks, based on
their own awareness and interests.
As
they developed their own forms of struggle and means of communication,
benefiting mainly from social media and new technologies, it may lead to the
emergence of social movements that could form a future movement that can be
called "revolutions without leaders".
At
the present time, social movements have increased due to the need for change in
many aspects of life, as the whole planet suffers endless problems and
governments or leaders do not act appropriately to end this suffering for their
owners, so the social movement is important in order to draw the attention of
the government and push it to amend and correction.
Written
by - Abduljalil Hage
Edited
by – Adrija Saha
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