social movement
Organized reform effort
A social movement is a collective effort by a group of people pursuing a shared political or social goal, typically outside formal institutional channels.
Social movements organize around causes—civil rights, environmentalism, labor reform—and use tactics like protests, boycotts, and public campaigns to shift opinion or policy: The anti-war movement gained momentum throughout the 1960s.
A movement may be loose and decentralized or highly organized.
Public expression of disapproval
- demonstrationPublic display of opinion
- marchRhythmic group walk
- rallyGathering for a cause
- boycottOrganized economic protest
petition · civil disobedience · sit-in · picketing · strike · organizing · coalition · solidarity
Collective local civic engagement
- volunteersUnpaid willing workers
- localOf this area
- bottom-upStarting from fundamentals
- neighborhoodResidential area nearby
collective · participation · door-to-door · decentralized · cooperative · mutual aid · town hall · canvassing
Official enactment of statutes
- policyAdopted principle of action
- amendmentChange to official text
- progressMovement toward improvement
- improvementPositive change in quality
modernization · suffrage · desegregation · abolition · emancipation · enfranchisement · civil rights · equal rights
Organized resistance to power
- rebellionDefiance of established power
- insurrectionViolent uprising against authority
- overthrowForcible removal from power
- revoltOrganized resistance to power
resistance · insurgency · upheaval · radicalism · guerrilla · mutiny · riot · barricades
Advocacy for sex equality
- civil rightsGuaranteed individual legal protections
- LGBTQ rightsProtections for sexual minorities
- Black PowerRacial pride movement
- disability rightsProtections for impaired individuals
pan-Africanism · women's liberation · queer liberation · intersectionality · representation · pride · self-determination · solidarity
Increasing social or political awareness
- educationSystematic development of mind
- outreachProactive community assistance
- sensitizationIncreased responsiveness to stimuli
- visibilityRange of clear sight
recognition · dialogue · discourse · empowerment · engagement · publicity · information · enlightenment
protest
Public expression of disapproval
- demonstrationPublic display of opinion
- marchRhythmic group walk
- rallyGathering for a cause
boycott · petition · civil disobedience · sit-in · picketing · strike · organizing · coalition · solidarity · direct action
community organizing
Collective local civic engagement
- volunteersUnpaid willing workers
- localOf this area
- bottom-upStarting from fundamentals
neighborhood · collective · participation · door-to-door · decentralized · cooperative · mutual aid · town hall · canvassing · networks
legislation
Official enactment of statutes
- policyAdopted principle of action
- amendmentChange to official text
- progressMovement toward improvement
improvement · modernization · suffrage · desegregation · abolition · emancipation · enfranchisement · civil rights · equal rights · labor rights
uprising
Organized resistance to power
- rebellionDefiance of established power
- insurrectionViolent uprising against authority
- overthrowForcible removal from power
revolt · resistance · insurgency · upheaval · radicalism · guerrilla · mutiny · riot · barricades · coup
feminism
Advocacy for sex equality
- civil rightsGuaranteed individual legal protections
- LGBTQ rightsProtections for sexual minorities
- Black PowerRacial pride movement
disability rights · pan-Africanism · women's liberation · queer liberation · intersectionality · representation · pride · self-determination · solidarity · allyship
consciousness-raising
Increasing social or political awareness
- educationSystematic development of mind
- outreachProactive community assistance
- sensitizationIncreased responsiveness to stimuli
visibility · recognition · dialogue · discourse · empowerment · engagement · publicity · information · enlightenment · exposure
- activismboycotts, activists, activist, advocate, demonstrating
- ralliescrowd, crowds, speakers, speeches, podium
- civic actioncivic engagement, community organizing, grassroots organizing, volunteering, petition drive
- nonstate actorsmilitia, insurgent, rebel group, guerrilla, paramilitary
- social trendsincome inequality, feminism, environmentalism, wealth gap, class divide
- upheavalsupheaval, revolution, revolt, uprising, overthrow
social movementstatus quo
Existing condition of affairs
conservatism · traditionalism · establishment · reaction · counterrevolution
social movementauthoritarian control
Oppressive, centralized dominance
martial law · dictatorship · totalitarian regime · police state
social movementpolitical apathy
Indifference to governance
quietism · alienation · atomization · demobilization · disaffection
social, society, movement, association, sociable, antisocial, socialize, societies, unsocial