Question

In India it is difficult to make a clear distinction between the old and new social movements. Discuss.

Answer 1

 Old Social Movements

• Class based – united to fight for rights.
• Anti-colonial movements.
• Nationalist movement united people into national e.g., liberation struggle.
• Movement against colonialism.
• Nationalist movement mobilied against rule of foreign power and dominance of foreign capital.
• Mainly concerned with struggles between haves and havenots. Key issue is reorganisation of power relations, i.e. capturing power & transferring it from powerful to powerless, e.g. Workers were mobilised towards capitalists; Women’s struggle against male domination.
• Worked under guidance & organisational framework of political parties, eg. Indian National Congress led the Indian National movement; Communist Party of China led the Chinese Revolution.
• Role of political parties was central and poor people had no other effective means to get their voices heard.
• Concerned about social inequality and unequal distribution of resources -important elements.

New Social Movements

• Decades after Second World War- 1960s and early 1970s
• Take up not just narrow class issues but broad, universal themes, which involved a broad social group irrespective of their class.
• Vietnam were forces led by US bloody conflict.
• Paris – Vibrant student’s movement joined worker’s parties in a series of strikes protesting against the war.
• USA was experiencing a sure of social protests. Civil rights movement was led by Martin Luther King.
• Black powers movement led by Malcolm X.
• Women’s movement, environmental movement.
• No longer focus on redistribution of power rather are more concerned with improving the quality of life. eg. Right to education, clean environment.
• No longer confine themselves within political parties. Instead started joining civil society movements and forming NGOs because they are supposed to be more efficient, less corrupt and less autocratic
• Globalization – reshaping people’s lines, culture, media Firms – transnational. Legal arrangements – international.
  Therefore, many new social movements are international in scope.
• Essential elements – Identity politics, cultural anxieties and aspirations.