Social Movements

The definition of social movements cannot easily be summarized into one concise sentence. A social movement is an attempt to intentionally intervene in the process of social change. A social movement is a creation of modern society. A social movement is a collection of people engaging in practices and discourses designed to challenge and change society as they define it. A social movement takes on and challenges the authority of the ruling political system. As …

…with rhetorical confrontation and the violence of the dominant order created a moral distinction between movement and dominant order. Such a dramatic drawing or moral distinction, ofttimes with the dominant order’s own values, gave fervent commitment to those in the movement. It also made the compromise appropriate in cooperation seem irresponsible and even wicked. The perfection of all of these three strategies of confrontation in the sixties was a great power of the movement.