POLITICS TODAY

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POLITICS TODAY

• Protests New Social Movements
• A new type of politics?

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1. What is a New Social Movement (NSM)? 2.
Types of New Social Movement 3. Old social
movements 4. Why have NSMs arisen? 5. Alberto
Melucci new types of political conflict 6.
Strengths and weaknesses of NSMs
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What is a New Social Movement?

• Organised activity
• that encourages or
• discourages social
• change
• (Macionis and Plummer)

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• Anthony Giddens
• A collective attempt to further a common
  interest or secure a common goal
• through collective action
• outside the sphere of established institutions

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Types of New Social Movement

• Feminist groups
• Anti-racist groups
• (e.g. the Anti-Nazi
• League)
• Anti-War groups

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Gay rights groups (e.g. Outrage) Environmental
groups (e.g. Greenpeace, Friends of the
Earth) Animal rights groups (e.g. Animal
Liberation Front)
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Common characteristics of NSMs

• Critical of status quo
• Focus on ONE particular issue

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Old Social Movements
Political parties - inside established political
system - do not fundamentally challenge that
system
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Why Have NSMs Arisen?

• Public disillusion with established political
  system
• Distrust of politicians
• Political system remote from the public?
• New political issues need attention

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Alberto Melucci new types of political conflict

• WHO is involved?
• WHAT does the conflict involve?
• WHERE does the conflict occur?

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WHO is involved?

• Anyone (potentially)
• Not class-based
• Beyond Left and Right?

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WHO is involved?

• Representation
• Party
• individual is represented by others
• Social movement
• genuine participant

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WHAT does the conflict involve?

• Political parties multiple issues
• (welfare, health, economy, jobs, etc. etc.)
• NSMs
• single issue politics

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• To change the political culture
• Feminist groups in 1970s
• The personal is the political
• Politics of LIFESTYLE

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Anti-Fur Industry Protests
Clothes and fashion made into political issues
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Export of live animals
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WHERE does the conflict occur?
Political system Inside / invisible NSMs Outs
ide / visible
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Strengths and weaknesses of NSMs

• STRENGTHS
• 1) Can concentrate on single issue
• 2) Passionate commitment
• 3) Sense of real membership
• 4) Can build on public sympathy

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• WEAKNESSES
• 1) OUTSIDE established system lack influence
• 2) Rely on mass media
• 3) Public apathy
• 4) Bureaucratisation
• 5) Corrupted by the system?