Social Movements
Class 12 · Sociology
4 ideas in Class 12 Sociology, explained in plain words, with games and quizzes to practise.
Features and Theoretical Perspectives of Social Movements
Part of: Theories, Classifications, and Ecological Struggles
A social movement requires sustained collective action over time, guided by shared objectives, an identifiable ideology, and organizational structure. Unlike spontaneous riots or single protests, social movements develop enduring strategies and often spark counter-movements. Sociologists explain their emergence through theories: Relative Deprivation emphasizes perceived injustice rather than absolute poverty; Resource Mobilization highlights how leadership and communication marshal resources; while New Social Movement theory focuses on non-material goals like identity and environment.
Why it matters. Understanding sociological theories of collective action explains how ordinary citizens organize, demand civil rights, and transform political institutions through sustained public participation.
Key words
- Social Movement
- : Sustained collective mobilization organized around shared aims to bring about or resist social change.
- Relative Deprivation
- : A felt sense of injustice arising when one's actual situation falls short of perceived entitlements.
- Resource Mobilization
- : A theory arguing movements succeed by gathering leadership, funding, networks, and communication.
- Counter-Movement
- : An opposing mobilization formed to protect existing privileges and resist changes sought by reformers.
- New Social Movement
- : Movements focusing on post-material values, identity recognition, peace, and ecological sustainability.
Try it in two minutes
- Distinguish ongoing social movements from short-lived crowds, mobs, and single protests.
- Contrast Relative Deprivation theory with Resource Mobilization theory of collective action.
- Examine how New Social Movements prioritize identity, lifestyle, and ecological quality of life.
Try at home. Observe a current public campaign and identify its stated goals, organizational leaders, and key communication channels.
Types of Social Movements and Ecological Struggles
Part of: Theories, Classifications, and Ecological Struggles
Sociologists classify social movements into three main types: Reformist movements pursue gradual, incremental institutional adjustments within constitutional laws; Redemptive or Transformative movements focus on reforming personal values, spiritual beliefs, and individual conduct; while Revolutionary movements seek foundational restructuring of state and property relations. Ecological struggles like Chipko in Uttarakhand unite environmental conservation with community livelihood rights, as villagers physically hugged trees to halt commercial forest exploitation.
Why it matters. Classifying movements clarifies their strategic goals and methods, while ecological struggles reveal how environmental sustainability is deeply tied to indigenous community survival and women's daily labor.
Key words
- Reformist Movement
- : A movement seeking gradual, incremental changes within the existing constitutional framework.
- Redemptive Movement
- : A movement seeking to transform the inner beliefs, values, and personal lives of individual members.
- Revolutionary Movement
- : A movement aiming to completely transform society by replacing basic power and property structures.
- Chipko Movement
- : An ecological movement in Uttarakhand where villagers clung to trees to halt commercial deforestation.
- Ecological Movement
- : Mobilization linking natural resource conservation with the livelihood security of local communities.
Try it in two minutes
- Distinguish reformist, redemptive, and revolutionary movements by their scope and targets.
- Trace the origin of the 1970s Chipko movement following devastating floods in the Alaknanda valley.
- Examine how women like Gaura Devi led grassroots resistance to protect local forest ecosystems.
Try at home. Identify an environmental conservation initiative in your state and determine whether it uses reformist or grassroots protest methods.
Class-Based Movements: Peasant and Working-Class Struggles
Part of: Class, Identity, and Rights: Peasant, Worker, Caste, Tribal, and Women's Movements
Class-based movements in India arose from colonial exploitation and agrarian inequality. Notable peasant mobilizations include the anti-indigo Champaran satyagraha, Bardoli, and post-war revolts like Tebhaga in Bengal (where sharecroppers demanded a two-thirds harvest share) and the Telangana uprising against feudal forced labor. Industrial workers established the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) in 1920. Later, major industrial actions like the 1982 Bombay textile strike led by Datta Samant highlighted deep economic unrest and the growing informalisation of factory labor.
Why it matters. Studying agrarian and industrial working-class mobilizations shows how subaltern laborers resisted feudal extraction and corporate exploitation, shaping labor laws and land reform legislations in India.
Key words
- Tebhaga Movement
- : A 1946-47 peasant struggle in Bengal demanding two-thirds of the harvest share for sharecroppers.
- Telangana Movement
- : An armed peasant uprising in 1946-51 against feudal landlords and forced labor in Hyderabad state.
- Trade Union
- : An organized association of workers formed to protect rights, negotiate wages, and improve working conditions.
- AITUC
- : All India Trade Union Congress, the first national federation of labor unions established in Bombay in 1920.
- Informalisation
- : A process where workers lose permanent protected factory contracts and shift into precarious daily wage work.
Try it in two minutes
- Examine the Tebhaga sharecroppers' demand for a two-thirds harvest share in post-war Bengal.
- Trace the growth of industrial unions from the 1918 Madras Labour Union to the 1920 founding of AITUC.
- Analyze how the 1982 Bombay textile strike highlighted labor distress and accelerated industrial restructuring.
Try at home. Check whether your town or city has historic textile mills, railway workshops, or industrial worker union offices.
Identity, Dignity, and Rights: Caste, Tribal, and Women's Movements
Part of: Class, Identity, and Rights: Peasant, Worker, Caste, Tribal, and Women's Movements
Identity-based movements mobilize for human dignity, cultural self-respect, and constitutional equality. Dalit movements, inspired by Jotiba Phule and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, struggle against caste oppression and untouchability through civil rights campaigns, religious conversions, and Dalit literature. Tribal movements, notably the Jharkhand statehood struggle achieved in 2000, resisted land alienation and exploitation by outsider 'dikus'. Concurrently, the women's movement campaigned against domestic violence and dowry, securing historic one-third representation in local panchayats.
Why it matters. Examining caste, tribal, and feminist movements reveals how marginalized groups assert their collective voice, dismantle institutional stigmatization, and redefine the meaning of democratic citizenship.
Key words
- Dalit Movement
- : Mobilization of oppressed castes fighting for equality, human dignity, and eradication of untouchability.
- Dikus
- : A tribal term for outsider traders, moneylenders, and settlers who exploited local mineral and land wealth.
- Dalit Literature
- : Creative writings by Dalit authors giving voice to lived realities of discrimination and demanding cultural revolt.
- 73rd Amendment
- : Constitutional amendment mandating one-third reservation of seats for women in rural local panchayats.
- Gender Justice
- : Ending all institutional discrimination, violence, and disadvantage faced by individuals based on gender.
Try it in two minutes
- Examine Dalit movements as struggles for human dignity, self-respect, and literary voice beyond mere economics.
- Trace the Jharkhand tribal movement from Birsa Munda's resistance to separate statehood in 2000.
- Analyze key achievements of the women's movement, including anti-violence laws and local governance reservation.
Try at home. Check whether your local municipal ward council or village panchayat is represented by a woman elected leader.
What your child will practise
- Class-Based Movements: Peasant and Working-Class Struggles: Desert Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- Features and Theoretical Perspectives of Social Movements: Jungle Puzzle (Clue Puzzle)
- Features and Theoretical Perspectives of Social Movements: Space Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- Identity, Dignity, and Rights: Caste, Tribal, and Women's Movements: Ocean Quick (Quick Fire)
- Types of Social Movements and Ecological Struggles: Desert Puzzle (Clue Puzzle)
- Quiz: Class-Based Movements: Peasant and Working-Class Struggles (8 questions)
- Quiz: Features and Theoretical Perspectives of Social Movements (8 questions)
- Quiz: Identity, Dignity, and Rights: Caste, Tribal, and Women's Movements (8 questions)
- Quiz: Types of Social Movements and Ecological Struggles (8 questions)