Social Movement

Social Movement

A social movement is a type of a group action. In most cases, they are informal or large organizational groupings that focus on particular socio-political issues. In the West, the social movements undo or resist social changes brought by urbanization and industrialization. The three types include WUNC displays, campaigns, and repertoire. All of them act as major vehicles that allow ordinary people to participate in politics.

Campaigns refer to an organized and sustained civic effort making a collective claim of particular authorities. On the other hand, a repertoire employs different forms of political actions to air out social issues. For instance, the people can create coalitions and special-purpose actions to resist change. Other forms of political actions involved include petition drives, demonstrations, public meetings, vigils, statements through social media, and rallies. In France, for instance, people held protests to resist changes in work regulations. Lastly, WUNC (worthiness, unity, numbers, and commitments) display entails concerted calls by the societal members for equality in public representation and leadership commitment to address rising matters within a community. Across Europe, WUNC displays showed a strong resistance to the refugee influx.

Alternative Structures that Circumvent State Power

In different countries, use pluralism to circumvent state power. For instance, in the United States, the application of pluralism is common. Politicians compete for public support, hence an establishment of a mutually beneficial relationship. Eventually, the power bubbles up at a grassroots level rather than Washington. People form voluntary groups to influence the opinions of elected government officials and the public. On the other hand, the elites can influence the government action to suit their interests. Large corporations in the United States and EU offer financial support to groups that oppose government policies, especially if their businesses are at stake.

Social movements can be successful if the group members have a shared goal and interests. In addition, it is important for members to mobilize resources to sustain the movement’s operations. My criteria will involve pushing for a wider acceptance of the movement by the establishment. However, in the long-run, the movement should replace the powerful elite forces in the community.