The Pros And Cons Of Social Movements

There is a wide collection of definitions of what social movements are. Social movements generally are one of the fundamental social forms through which a number of organized and coordinated people work together to support a social goal, usually a change in the society’s values or structure, or to bring about social change. Social movements can be different sizes, but they are basically collective, they usually involve people who come together spontaneously sharing a common view of the society. They are sustained campaigns through which the people of democratic societies raise awareness of the different concerns about the welfare, rights and the well being of everyone. The collectives give voice to these concerns by engaging in public protest

Second, “the national state may be losing its capacity to constrain and structure collective action.” Governments cannot hide international matters from their citizens. Third, “as the state’s capacity to control global economic forces declines, individuals and groups have gained access to new kinds of resources to mount collective action across borders.” Individuals have more control and access over global economic forces. Fourth, “as economies globalize, cultures universalize, and institutions proliferate, “principled ideas’ are increasingly adopted as international norms and then become socialized into domestic understanding.” Finally, “growing out of global economy and its attendant communications revolutions wound around the latticework of international organizations and institutions, drawing on the inequalities and abuses created by economic globalization and fortified by international norms, a web of new transnational organizations and movements is being forced.” (Tarrow p,