Political movement 99232 208066931 2008-04-25T08:21:59Z Prokopenya Viktor 5858483 {{Original research|date=November 2007}} A '''political movement''' is a [[social movement]] working in the area of [[politics]]. A political movement may be organized around a single issue or set of issues, or around a set of shared concerns of a [[social group]]. In contrast with a [[Political party|political party]], a political movement is not organized to elect members of the movement to government office; instead, a political movement aims to convince citizens and/or government officers to take action on the issues and concerns which are the focus of the movement. Political movements are an expression of the struggle of a social group for the political space and benefits. The political movements are presented by non-state groups who are led by their elite. In fact the process of the construction of [[identities]] and reinforcing them is also a part of political movements. [[Charles Tilly]] in his "Politics of Collective Violence" <ref>Tilly Ch. The Politics of Collective Violence, New York: Columbia University, 2003.</ref> has given a comprehensive framework for study of the political movements which turn coercive. A political movement may be local, regional, national, or international in scope. Some have aimed to change government policy, such as the [[Peace movement|the anti-war movement]], the [[Ecology movement]], and the [[Anti-globalization movement]]. Many have aimed to establish or broaden the rights of subordinate groups, such as [[abolitionism]], the [[women's suffrage]] movement, the [[Civil rights movement]], [[Feminism|feminism]], [[Men's movement|men's rights movement]], [[LGBT social movements|Gay rights movement]], the [[Disability rights movement]], or the inclusive [[Human rights|human rights]] movement. Some have represented class interests, such as the [[Labour movement]], [[Socialism]], and [[Communism]], others have expressed national aspirations, such as [[Anticolonialism|anticolonialist]] movements, [[Ratana]], [[Zionism]], and [[Sinn Féin]]. Political movements can also involve struggles to decentralize or centralize state control, as in [[Anarchism]], [[Fascism]], and [[Nazism]]. Some activists and scholars claim that along with [[globalization]] a new type of political movement emerges that is not merely international or single-issue focused, but is characterized with global approach. This has been termed a [[global citizens movement]] and debate continues over whether it has manifested or is still a latent potential. ==Identification of supporters== A difficulty for scholarship of movements is that for most of them, neither insiders to a movement nor outsiders apply consistent labels or even descriptive phrases. Unless there is a single leader who does that, or a formal system of membership agreements, activists will typically use diverse labels and descriptive phrases that require scholars to discern when they are referring to the same or similar ideas, declare similar goals, adopt similar programs of action, and use similar methods. There can be great differences in the way that is done, to recognize who is and who is not a member or an allied group: * Insiders: Often exaggerate the level of support by considering people supporters whose level of activity or support is weak, but also reject those that outsiders might consider supporters because they discredit the cause, or are even seen as adversaries. * Outsiders: Those not supporters who may tend to either underestimate or overestimate the level or support or activity of elements of a movement, by including or excluding those that insiders would exclude or include. It is often outsiders rather than insiders that apply the identifying labels for a movement, which the insiders then may or may not adopt and use to self-identify. For example, the label for the [[levellers]] political movement in 17th century England was applied to them by their antagonists, as a [[term of disparagement]]. Yet admirers of the movement and its aims later came to use the term, and it is the term by which they are known to history. Caution must always be exercised in any discussion of amorphous phenomena such as movements to distinguish between the views of insiders and outsiders, supporters and antagonists, each of whom may have their own purposes and agendas in [[characterization]] or mischaracterization of it. == References == {{reflist}} == See also == * [[protests]] * [[revolution]] * [[global citizens movement]] * [[Social criticism]] [[Category:Political movements]] [[de:Politische Bewegung]] [[es:Movimiento político]] [[fr:Mouvement politique]]