Social movements are purposeful, organized groups that strive to work toward a common social goal. Movements can happen locally, at the state and national level and around the world. Let’s look at examples of social movements, from local to global. No doubt you can think of others on all of these levels, especially since modern technology has allowed us a near-constant stream of information about the quest for social change around the world.

6.4.1 Levels of Social Movements

Local social movements typically refer to those in cities or towns, but they can also affect smaller constituencies, such as college campuses. Sometimes colleges are smaller hubs of a national movement, as seen during the Vietnam War protests or the Black Lives Matter protests. Other times, colleges are managing a more local issue.

The ultimate state-level protest would be to cease being a state. Organizations in several states are working toward that goal. In 2021, for instance Harney County became the 11th county in Oregon to pass a non-binding ballot measure in support of moving the Idaho border to include large parts of rural Oregon. Supporters of the initiative told reporters that they feel more aligned with Idaho’s conservative political culture and alienated from the liberal politics of the Portland-metro area, where the majority of the state’s voters reside.

State level organizing also shows up before and after national decisions. For example, the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that reversed Roe Vs.Wade and ended the federally guaranteed right to get an abortion, was met with a flurry of responses at the state level. Anti-abortion organizers had worked for years to prepare for this sort of decision by putting in place trigger laws to immediately outlaw or severely restrict abortion access in the event of such a reversal. Other states responded with legislation to support access to abortion and other reproductive services. A notible, and surprising response came from voters in Kansas, often considered reliably conservative and by extension anti-abortion, soundly rejected an attemt to repeal existing language in the state contsitution that protects the right to abortion access. Each of these outcomes were shaped by competing social movements at the state level that either favor or oppose abortion access.

Many social movements worldwide mobilize collective action in response to global social problems such as poverty, inequality, and exploitation. Pro-democracy movements are also on the rise in response to perceived increases in authoritarianism and fascism (World Politics Review Editors 2022). Some analysts cite Arab Spring (2010), Occupy (2011) and Black Lives Matter (2014 – present) demonstrations around the world, to argue that we are in an age of global protests. In 2020 BLM protests took place in over 60 countries (Wikipedia n.d.), and blacklivesmatter.com includes significant information about and resources for global organizing for Black lives.

6.4.2 Types of Social Movements

We know that social movements can occur on the local, national, or even global stage. Are there other patterns or classifications that can help us understand them? One of the most common and important types of social movements is the reform movement, which seeks limited, though still significant, changes in some aspect of a nation’s political, economic, or social systems. It does not try to overthrow the existing government but rather works to improve conditions within the existing regime. Some of the most important social movements in U.S. history have been reform movement, including many iterations of the women’s movement which have addreses suffrage, economic discrimination and , the labor movement, the civil rights movement, the Vietnam-era antiwar movement, movements for queer and trans liberation, and the environmental movement.

A report from Pew Research Center found that about 55% of U.S. adults expressed at least some support for the Black Lives Matter in September 2020, and those numbers held steady in a 2021 follow-up poll (Menasche Horowitz 2021). However, according to a 2021 survey by the Oregon Values and Beliefs Center found that 53% of adults in Oregon favored police reform measures. The same study also found that 27% of Oregonians favor abolishing the police altogether and funding social services and infrastructure for under-resourced and historically oppressed communities.

A revolutionary movement goes further than a reform movement in seeking to overthrow the existing government or institution and to bring about a new one and even a new way of life. Revolutionary movements have been common throughout history. Reform and revolutionary movements are often referred to as political movements because the changes they seek are political in nature.

The abolitionist ideals at the heart of BLM organizing principles can be considered revolutionary in that they challenge the very premise of policing as an effective or humane response to social problems. The Black Lives Matter website invites visitors to “join the movement for Freedom, Liberation and Justice.” Building on the work of social theorists like Angela Davis, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, and Michelle Alexander. BLM Organizers articulate an abolitionist vision that does not seek to reform policing, but to replace the current criminal justice system with a system of transformative justice and community care. To learn more about what BLM organizers mean by “abolish the police”, you can watch the 3 part series, Imagining Abolition.

Another type of political movement is a reactionary movement, so named because it tries to block social change or to reverse social changes that have already been achieved. #BlueLivesMatter emerged in 2016 as a powerful call to support and respect police and to defend the institution and traditions of police. Supporters assert that the police officers are doing dangerous, and misunderstood jobs that deserve respect. They claim that BLM organizing has made police work more dangerous and that the police have been victims of deliberate misinformation. This can be considered a reactionary movement the goal is to block the social changes and maintain the status quo.

Two other types of movements are self-help movements and religious movements. As their name implies, self-help movements involve people trying to improve aspects of their personal lives; examples of self-help groups include Alcoholics Anonymous and Weight Watchers. Religious movements have elements of self help and mutual aide. They generally aim to reinforce religious beliefs among their members and to convert other people to these beliefs. Principles from both religious and self-help movements have informed both reform and reaction movements.

6.4.3 Stages of Social Movements

Later sociologists studied the lifecycle of social movements—how they emerge, grow, and in some cases, die out. Blumer (1969) and Tilly (1978) outline a four-stage process. In the preliminary stage, people become aware of an issue, and leaders emerge. This is followed by the coalescence stage when people join together and organize in order to publicize the issue and raise awareness. In the institutionalization stage, the movement no longer requires grassroots volunteerism: it is an established organization, typically with a paid staff. When people fall away and adopt a new movement, the movement successfully brings about the change it sought, or when people no longer take the issue seriously, the movement falls into the decline stage. In the next section we will consider the role of social media in each of these stages.