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So what is social change?Social movements, campaigning and

direct action.

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1. Social movements

• What is a social movement?

• ‘collective challenges [to elites, authorities, other groups or cultural codes] by people with common purposes and solidarity in sustained interactions with elites, opponents and authorities’ (Tarrow, 1994)

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2. The nature of change

• Rethinking cause and effect

• Complex and non linear change A ≠ B

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2. The nature of change• Tipping points, chaos points and

junctions:

• Breakdown or breakthrough?

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2. The nature of change• Synchronous failure: what happens

with multiple chaos and failure?

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IdeologicalRepresentable

Utilitarian Rational

Modernist Teleological

Post IdeologicalNon Representable

Deliberative Indeterminate

Post modernist Contingent

ReformistRadical/revolutionary

Source: Tormey, 2004

Different political positions

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2c. The nature of change

• Power in its different forms:

• Power - over

• Power – to

• Power – with

• Power – within

• Power - together

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4b. The Movement Action Plan

‘Social movements need to go beyond immediate reforms to build toward fundamental structural changes by….

??????

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4b. The Movement Action Plan

(1) creating empowered people who become life-long social change agents, and not just one issue protesters;

(2) creating ongoing grassroots political organizations and networks;

(3) broadening the analysis, issues, and goals of movements;(4) propose new alternatives and worldviews or paradigms that

put forward new political and social systems, not just oppose symptoms.’

Moyer MAP, 1987, page 38

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4b. The Movement Action Plan

MA in Activism and Social ChangeSCHOOL OF GEOGRAPHY

The spectrum of political engagement

• Remember they overlap and change according to the issue:

• Passive givers (membership, donations)

• Passive supporters (letter writers, online petitions, boycotting)

• Active supporters (organised marches, demos, lobbying)

• Direct actioners (take matters into their own hands - immediacy and intention)

The deep roots of resistance

Contemporary moments of direct

action

Not just about radicals or the traditional Left

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What are the differences?

Direct action

Civil Disobedience

– Direct action: ‘politically motivated activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political goals outside of normal social/political channels.’ (Wikipedia)

– Acting directly means not deferring your personal ability, power and responsibility to pre-existing structures but doing it yourself. (Trapese)

– “Civil Disobedience is a public, nonviolent, conscientious yet political act contrary to law usually done with the aim of bringing about a change in the law or policies of the government.” (John Rawls, A theory of Justice. 55-59)

Definitions

– What is and is not direct action?• Making demands / lobbying?• Waiting for (or deferring to) existing

channels/institutions?• A last ditch attempt when all else has failed?• Way of life/philosophy, / a tactic within a larger

structure/campaign?• The preserve of the radical left?

1. Definitions

Why do people take direct action?

• Mobilisation (the push factor – the situation is dire, and individuals are frustrated)

• Incentives (the pull factor – there’s an opportunity, and probably collective support and infrastructure)

• Framing (a plausible story exists about how things could be different – and people will go along with it)

• All three usually have to be met for real and rapid change to occur

What is too far?

Some questions…• Which ripples create waves? (or which actions

spark the imagination and wider movements?)

• How can we weigh up risks with potential benefits?Are the risks worth it?

• What is role of direct action within longer term campaigning?

• (often good to grab the headlines and start a campaign, to show you are serious, that you are in it for the long term)