A social movement is a sustained campaign launched to achieve a particular goal. These movements are organized to change old social structures or values that have proved detrimental to the individuals belonging to particular groups. The Social Movement might differ in magnitude, but they are a joint effort of a group of people; the latter doesn’t follow the same rules but have a mutual outlook on life.
This article will discuss New Social Movements in the context of the IAS Exam.
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| Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) | Chipko movement |
|---|---|
| 19th Century Social and Religious Reform Movements | Bhakti Movement |
| Social Issues in India | Gender Inequality in India |
New Social Movements in India
There have been a lot of social movements going on since the twentieth century. They are ecological movements, class-based movements, caste-based movements, tribal movements, women’s movements, etc. For the rest of the article, we are going to discuss these types of movements:
Ecological Movements
Ecological movements are those that deal with a profound impact on the environment. An example of this Movement would be the Chipko Movement. This Movement is an excellent example of various interests and ideologies. The government wanted to cut down the forest to increase timber sales, but the villagers’ lives depended on it. It was a conflict between the economy of interest and the economy of profit, as well as the issue of economic sustainability.
Read more on Environmental Movements in India, from the linked article.
Class-Based Movements
Class-based movements are those movements where a lower economic class collides with a dominant class. The peasant movement embodies this type of Movement. The worker’s Movement is an ideal example in thorough stages, about as cheap as the colonial government did not regulate wages or working conditions. There wasn’t any union until 1918, but workers protested against the prevailing conditions, but it was more spurious than sustained. Finally, in 1920 all India trade union congress was formed, which paved the way for any organized protest by workers.
Caste-Based Movements
This type of Movement characterizes the Dalit movement. Unlike economic exploitation, this Movement was based on recognizing fellow beings as human. As a result, this Movement paved the way for Dalits to raise their voices against stigmatization and untouchability.
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The Tribal Movements
The tribal Movement was located in the so-called ‘tribal belt’ in Northern India. Tribes like Santhals, Hos, Oraons, Mundas in Chota Nagpur, and Santhal Parganas were part of the Movement. The tribal movements are based on the representation of Adivasis and their literacy so they can get a job and earn daily wages.
Womens’ Movements
This Movement concerns the representation of women in the political and social sphere. Although, since the beginning of time, the patriarchal society has created an inequality between men and women, which was reflected in the private, public and political spheres of people’s lives. The Women’s India Association (WIA), All India Women’s Conference (AIWC), and The National Council for Women in India (NCWI) started addressing these issues.
Types of Social Movements
There are three types of social movements:
- Redemptive or Transformative: this Movement aims to change the personal consciousness of its members. An example of this would be alcoholic anonymous. It seeks to help an alcoholic overcome his addiction to drinking.
- Reformist Movement: these types of movements strive to change the existing political and social arrangements gradually. Some examples of these types of Movement would be Arya Samaj and Bhramho Samaj.
- Revolutionary Movement: These types of movements are radical. A revolutionary movement attempts to transform social relations by capturing state power radically. An example of this would be the Bolshevik Revolution of May 1920 that dethroned the Tsar to create a communist state. In India, the Naxalite Movement can be counted as a revolutionary movement.
Features of New Social Movements
The essential features of a social movement are:
- They are the result of sustained collective action.
- The organization requires a leader who will structure the protests and bring the members together.
- The participants in the Movement have shared objectives and ideologies.
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Frequently Asked Questions on New Social Movements
What is a new social movement?
The new social Movement results from sustained collective action and the intuition of a leader who can structure the protests and bring the members together. The members of the Movement should have shared ideologies to work toward the same goal.
What is a reformist movement?
In the reformist Movement, the participants worked toward changing an existing political or social scenario. The practise of sati was regressive for women, which raja ram Mohan Roy worked to abolish.
What is a Dalit movement?
The Dalit movement was a struggle for recognition of Dalits as human beings. It was started by Babasaheb Ambedkar, who worked hard toward abolishing the prejudices regarding Dalits, i.e., stigmatization and untouchability.
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