WHAT ARE SOCIAL MOVEMENTS?
Pedro Ibarra (2000)
Summary:
INTRODUCTION
This yearbook of social movements focuses on concrete experiences, so it is necessary to begin with some general reflections on
social movements: what are they, why do they arise, how do they evolve and how do they differ from other forms of collective
action? It is important for the reader to understand that social movements are a specific way for a group of people to come together
to claim their rights.
Instead of defining a priori what a movement is, it is more useful to describe it by reflecting on the shortcomings, frustrations and
denials that originate it. A social movement arises as a response to:
1. Structural tensions (work, family, urban) that generate violations of concrete and felt interests.
2. Organizational shortcomings where pre-existing forms cannot, do not know how to or do not want to resolve these conflicts.
3. Dissatisfaction of certain people with the way they live and how injustices are handled, preferring participatory, egalitarian, and
cooperative solutions.
Thus, social movements not only seek to solve specific problems, but also prefigure the world they wish to establish through their
collective action.
THE ABOVE REFLECTION IMPLIES TWO THINGS:
A movement seeks and practices a collective identity; it supposes that a group of people want to live together a unique way of
seeing, being and acting in the world. Although the intensity of this experience may vary, it must exist in order for us to s peak of a
social movement. A social movement is not simply an office where people fix individual problems; there must be a mini mum of
shared meaning, a common way of interpreting and living reality.
A movement arises as a response to value and ideological shortcomings and adopts this form of identity, an alternative to the
conventional and dominant ones of adapting to the world. This happens because there are pre-existing solidarity networks, people
with solidarity experience or with a memory/ideology that believes in the possibility of doing and seeing things differently.
THE CONDITIONS AND CONTEXTS OF THE EMERGENCE
In short, a movement begins and consolidates because there are people willing to do it, because those people have a unique way
of seeing reality and wanting to transform it and because there are conditions for its implementation. Let us look at all of this in
more detail.
FROM DISCONTENT TO ACTION
We want to understand why some people choose the form of a social movement to claim their rights rather than a pressure group
or a political party. We want to know why certain conflicts occur through social movements and what are the favorable context s
that allow these movements to be initiated and maintained.
An individual decides to participate to the extent that he or she feels immersed in a set of cultural frameworks of collectiv e action.
These frameworks, which inspire and legitimize the actions of social movements, are elaborated through a double process: the
"objectification" of collective frameworks and the construction of individual or group frameworks from them.
The three traits that drive the decision to mobilize are: feeling that something unjust is happening and there is someone to blame;
feeling that this injustice affects a group with which they identify; and to believe that it is possible to overcome that in justice
collectively. This sense of injustice can arise from illegitimate group inequality, unexpected collective harm or grievances, and the
violation of shared values.
1
Made by MatyBuda
, The incentives to move from discontent to action are divided into two groups: collective and selective. Collective incentives
motivate the individual to participate because they believe that their participation is necessary to achieve relevant collective goods.
Selective incentives offer particular advantages, such as use of members-only premises or social recognition.
The decision to participate based on collective interests is not reduced to a calculation of costs and benefits, but is influ enced by
social factors, promises and shared pressures. People are aware that in order to obtain a collective good, it is necessary for many
to participate, and that is why they choose to get involved in a social movement and ensure that others do too.
ACTIVIST PROFILE
We are interested in highlighting that individuals with "gratuitously" collective interests tend to join or found social movements.
These individuals feel in solidarity with injustice and believe that collective mobilization is the only way to eliminate it. This social
sensitivity can arise from dissident socialization, experiences of structural deficiencies, or living in closed communities.
Generally, this sensitivity is developed through previous practices in solidarity networks. Social movements are born from pre-
existing social networks, being a confluence of these networks. The most active individuals and potential leaders join social
movements because of their previous experiences in these networks.
These individuals prefer social movements to pressure groups or political parties because they want to build a collective identity
based on mutual trust, shared values, and solidarity. They consider it more effective to claim interests and values together with
others and have previous experiences of identity solidarity that support their commitment.
STRUCTURAL SOURCES
Individuals who form or join a social movement tend to be different from those who join a pressure group. However, this does not
explain why certain tensions, grievances, and deprivations are expressed through social movements. This expression is due to three
pre-existing structural conditions, which even today allow the emergence of new or recycled social movements:
1. Differentiation and specialization of modernity: Modernity generates fractures in social structures and functions, creating new
fields of conflict that social movements can occupy. Their capacity for organizational informality and unconventional methods
allows them to channel these emerging tensions. For example, the crisis of the family has fueled the resurgence of the feminist
movement, and the radicalization of industrial development has fostered the environmental movement.
2. Development of postmodernity: This development expels a growing number of individuals from stable spaces of reference, such
as permanent work. These individuals need to organize themselves into solidarity networks in order to survive, networks that then
support social movements.
3. Media audience and limitations of parties and pressure groups: Social movements, with their flexible practices, get more media
attention than the routines of parties or interest groups. Political parties, due to their slow bureaucracies and electoral n eed not
to deviate from general interests, are unable to address these new imbalances and tensions. Pressure groups also find it difficult
to take on these challenges due to the diffuse nature of the beneficiaries of these demands.
These structural conditions explain why social movements continue to emerge and adapt to new circumstances.
THE CONTEXTS
For a social movement to emerge, special individuals and specific structural crises are needed to fuel its emergence. In addi tion,
the movement must have adequate resources, both material and organizational. However, this is not enough. A favorable context
for its emergence is also crucial. Without this context, the movement can remain in an initial phase with no real capacity for
mobilization and eventually disappear.
There are two key contexts to consider: the political opportunity structure and cultural frameworks. In political terms, it i s crucial
to observe variables such as the openness of political institutions to social demands, the capacity of institutions to implement
political decisions, the position of political elites, and potential allies of the movement. These circumstances will determi ne
whether a movement can start and then expand or whether it will face decline.
Cultural context refers to the collective identity of the movement and its ability to mobilize. This implies the construction of an
alternative discourse that reinforces the sense of belonging and differentiation of the movement. The movement's ability to use
pre-existing mental schemes in society for its identity and mobilizing purposes is crucial to its success.
2
Made by MatyBuda
Pedro Ibarra (2000)
Summary:
INTRODUCTION
This yearbook of social movements focuses on concrete experiences, so it is necessary to begin with some general reflections on
social movements: what are they, why do they arise, how do they evolve and how do they differ from other forms of collective
action? It is important for the reader to understand that social movements are a specific way for a group of people to come together
to claim their rights.
Instead of defining a priori what a movement is, it is more useful to describe it by reflecting on the shortcomings, frustrations and
denials that originate it. A social movement arises as a response to:
1. Structural tensions (work, family, urban) that generate violations of concrete and felt interests.
2. Organizational shortcomings where pre-existing forms cannot, do not know how to or do not want to resolve these conflicts.
3. Dissatisfaction of certain people with the way they live and how injustices are handled, preferring participatory, egalitarian, and
cooperative solutions.
Thus, social movements not only seek to solve specific problems, but also prefigure the world they wish to establish through their
collective action.
THE ABOVE REFLECTION IMPLIES TWO THINGS:
A movement seeks and practices a collective identity; it supposes that a group of people want to live together a unique way of
seeing, being and acting in the world. Although the intensity of this experience may vary, it must exist in order for us to s peak of a
social movement. A social movement is not simply an office where people fix individual problems; there must be a mini mum of
shared meaning, a common way of interpreting and living reality.
A movement arises as a response to value and ideological shortcomings and adopts this form of identity, an alternative to the
conventional and dominant ones of adapting to the world. This happens because there are pre-existing solidarity networks, people
with solidarity experience or with a memory/ideology that believes in the possibility of doing and seeing things differently.
THE CONDITIONS AND CONTEXTS OF THE EMERGENCE
In short, a movement begins and consolidates because there are people willing to do it, because those people have a unique way
of seeing reality and wanting to transform it and because there are conditions for its implementation. Let us look at all of this in
more detail.
FROM DISCONTENT TO ACTION
We want to understand why some people choose the form of a social movement to claim their rights rather than a pressure group
or a political party. We want to know why certain conflicts occur through social movements and what are the favorable context s
that allow these movements to be initiated and maintained.
An individual decides to participate to the extent that he or she feels immersed in a set of cultural frameworks of collectiv e action.
These frameworks, which inspire and legitimize the actions of social movements, are elaborated through a double process: the
"objectification" of collective frameworks and the construction of individual or group frameworks from them.
The three traits that drive the decision to mobilize are: feeling that something unjust is happening and there is someone to blame;
feeling that this injustice affects a group with which they identify; and to believe that it is possible to overcome that in justice
collectively. This sense of injustice can arise from illegitimate group inequality, unexpected collective harm or grievances, and the
violation of shared values.
1
Made by MatyBuda
, The incentives to move from discontent to action are divided into two groups: collective and selective. Collective incentives
motivate the individual to participate because they believe that their participation is necessary to achieve relevant collective goods.
Selective incentives offer particular advantages, such as use of members-only premises or social recognition.
The decision to participate based on collective interests is not reduced to a calculation of costs and benefits, but is influ enced by
social factors, promises and shared pressures. People are aware that in order to obtain a collective good, it is necessary for many
to participate, and that is why they choose to get involved in a social movement and ensure that others do too.
ACTIVIST PROFILE
We are interested in highlighting that individuals with "gratuitously" collective interests tend to join or found social movements.
These individuals feel in solidarity with injustice and believe that collective mobilization is the only way to eliminate it. This social
sensitivity can arise from dissident socialization, experiences of structural deficiencies, or living in closed communities.
Generally, this sensitivity is developed through previous practices in solidarity networks. Social movements are born from pre-
existing social networks, being a confluence of these networks. The most active individuals and potential leaders join social
movements because of their previous experiences in these networks.
These individuals prefer social movements to pressure groups or political parties because they want to build a collective identity
based on mutual trust, shared values, and solidarity. They consider it more effective to claim interests and values together with
others and have previous experiences of identity solidarity that support their commitment.
STRUCTURAL SOURCES
Individuals who form or join a social movement tend to be different from those who join a pressure group. However, this does not
explain why certain tensions, grievances, and deprivations are expressed through social movements. This expression is due to three
pre-existing structural conditions, which even today allow the emergence of new or recycled social movements:
1. Differentiation and specialization of modernity: Modernity generates fractures in social structures and functions, creating new
fields of conflict that social movements can occupy. Their capacity for organizational informality and unconventional methods
allows them to channel these emerging tensions. For example, the crisis of the family has fueled the resurgence of the feminist
movement, and the radicalization of industrial development has fostered the environmental movement.
2. Development of postmodernity: This development expels a growing number of individuals from stable spaces of reference, such
as permanent work. These individuals need to organize themselves into solidarity networks in order to survive, networks that then
support social movements.
3. Media audience and limitations of parties and pressure groups: Social movements, with their flexible practices, get more media
attention than the routines of parties or interest groups. Political parties, due to their slow bureaucracies and electoral n eed not
to deviate from general interests, are unable to address these new imbalances and tensions. Pressure groups also find it difficult
to take on these challenges due to the diffuse nature of the beneficiaries of these demands.
These structural conditions explain why social movements continue to emerge and adapt to new circumstances.
THE CONTEXTS
For a social movement to emerge, special individuals and specific structural crises are needed to fuel its emergence. In addi tion,
the movement must have adequate resources, both material and organizational. However, this is not enough. A favorable context
for its emergence is also crucial. Without this context, the movement can remain in an initial phase with no real capacity for
mobilization and eventually disappear.
There are two key contexts to consider: the political opportunity structure and cultural frameworks. In political terms, it i s crucial
to observe variables such as the openness of political institutions to social demands, the capacity of institutions to implement
political decisions, the position of political elites, and potential allies of the movement. These circumstances will determi ne
whether a movement can start and then expand or whether it will face decline.
Cultural context refers to the collective identity of the movement and its ability to mobilize. This implies the construction of an
alternative discourse that reinforces the sense of belonging and differentiation of the movement. The movement's ability to use
pre-existing mental schemes in society for its identity and mobilizing purposes is crucial to its success.
2
Made by MatyBuda
