Key Points

A social movement is a sustained and organized collective action aimed at bringing about or resisting social change. It requires a degree of organization, shared objectives, and is often directed against the state's policies.

Social change is a continuous and broad historical process, while a social movement is a deliberate collective effort with specific goals. For instance, Sanskritisation is social change, whereas 19th-century reform efforts were social movements.

Social movements can be classified as redemptive (changing individual consciousness), reformist (seeking gradual change within existing structures), and revolutionary (aiming to radically transform social relations).

Social movements often provoke counter movements that defend the existing social order or status quo. For example, when Raja Rammohun Roy campaigned against sati, the Dharma Sabha was formed to oppose him.

Old social movements were typically class-based, focused on economic inequality, and led by political parties. New social movements often address quality-of-life issues like the environment, are based on identity politics, and can be international in scope.

An ecological movement in the Himalayan foothills where villagers, including many women, hugged trees to prevent them from being felled by contractors. It linked the villagers' subsistence needs with the larger issue of ecological sustainability.

India has a long history of agrarian struggles, including the Tebhaga movement (1946-47) by sharecroppers in Bengal and the Telangana movement (1946-51) against feudal oppression in Hyderabad state.

Beginning in the 1970s, these movements involved market-oriented farmers rather than subsistence peasants. They were non-party, regionally organized, and focused on demands like remunerative prices for agricultural produce.

The first trade union was established in Madras in 1918 by B.P. Wadia. The All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) was formed in 1920, marking a significant step in organizing the Indian working class.

The Dalit movement is a struggle for recognition, self-dignity, and the eradication of untouchability, not just for economic or political rights. The term 'Dalit' was popularized in the 1970s by followers of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

The movement for a separate Jharkhand state was a long struggle by adivasis against exploitation by outsiders ('dikus') and for the protection of their identity and land. Inspired by leader Birsa Munda, it led to the formation of the state in 2000.

The early 20th century saw the rise of women's organizations like the Women's India Association (WIA, 1917) and the All India Women's Conference (AIWC, 1926). They campaigned for women's education and voting rights.

There was a renewal of the women's movement in India in the mid-1970s. This phase brought new issues to the forefront, such as violence against women, dowry, sexual harassment, and the demand for legal reforms.

Social movements develop distinct modes of protest, such as processions, street theatre, songs, and poetry. Mahatma Gandhi introduced novel methods like ahimsa, satyagraha, and the use of the charkha during the freedom struggle.

Rights like universal adult franchise are the result of long social struggles. In Britain, the Chartist movement fought for male suffrage, and suffragettes campaigned for women's right to vote, which was achieved only gradually.