Types of Social Movements

Defining Social Reform& Movement Social Reform: when people with little or no political power join together in order to gain it Social Movement: when various organizations are formed working toward the same social agenda/reform Social Reform Must Be: 1. organized, 2. deliberate, and 3. enduring This is what distinguishes social reform from collective behavior

Riots as an example of collective action Riots are generally unorganized Riots are generally deliberate or directed toward any particular agenda Riots aren’t enduring

Types of Social Reform There are four types Alternate Redemptive Reformative Revolutionary

Alternate Social Reform Want to change someone’s thoughts or behaviors in a specific area or about a very specific topic Works only on impacting a specific group of people and hopes to impact them on their specific agenda/topic Not dangerous to larger society or social order because they only want very specific change

Alternative Reform Ex DARE Program

Redemptive Reform Want dramatic change but only in select individuals lives Seeks to change all behaviors The goal for those select individuals is a complete transformation; want uniformity within the group

Reformative Want to change the entire community or society but in a specific/limited way Want to change entire communities view on a particular issue Can either be progressive: seeking to change something or reactionary: seeking to reverse or resist change

Examples of Progressive and Reactionary MADDThe KKK

Revolutionary Reform Want to completely destroy old social order and replace it with a new one The goal is total transformation of society Is the most threatening to existing social order and power because it seeks to replace it

Examples of Revolutionary Reform