{"id":1774,"date":"2022-12-07T14:22:54","date_gmt":"2022-12-07T13:22:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/youth-talks.org\/?p=1774"},"modified":"2024-03-10T13:30:47","modified_gmt":"2024-03-10T12:30:47","slug":"what-new-contemporary-activist-movements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/youth-talks.org\/fr\/what-new-contemporary-activist-movements\/","title":{"rendered":"What is new about contemporary activist movements?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Every month starting December 2022, we at Youth Talks will be publishing a four-article series about a key socio-political topic, intending to trigger discussions with our readers. This month and for our first series, we explore the topic of activism(s), its history and meanings, as well as the young people and global initiatives that are shaping its new forms.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What better topic than Activism to kick off our blog series?<\/strong> Indeed, young people are increasingly taking such matters into their own hands to make their voices heard, in part thanks to online tools, a global trend that is perfectly aligned with the values and objectives of our consultation: listen to what you need, to provide you with an education that matches your aspirations, enabling you to shape a more sustainable world of tomorrow, a future world which belongs to you.<\/span><\/p>

With that in mind, this first article\u2019s purpose is to provide you with basic knowledge about activism and, hopefully, encourage you to share your thoughts with us by participating in our consultation<\/a>.<\/p>

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\"\ud83d\udcda\" Activism: what does it mean exactly?<\/b><\/h2>

According to the Cambridge dictionary, activism<\/a> is \u201cthe use of direct and noticeable action to achieve a result, usually a political or social one\u201d and an activist<\/a> is \u201ca person who believes strongly in political or social change and takes part in activities such as public protests to try to make this happen.\u201d
In short, activism is when people take action to push political and\/or social change forward, for example by asking a government to change its laws.<\/p>

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How does it work?<\/b><\/h2>

It is important to make the distinction between the two following main categories:<\/p>

1\u00b0<\/strong> Traditional activism, where activists engage through an intermediary that is a public actor, a political party or a union. Here, all actions are always framed by the rules of the political apparatus.<\/p>

2\u00b0<\/strong> Activism where activists use direct action, meaning they challenge an organization (e.g. governments, universities, companies, etc.) without going through the traditional intermediaries described above. It can be many things, like tweeting political representatives or striking in front of headquarters. It’s also a moral attitude, where actions are guided by values, even if it means making compromises, such as disrespecting the law.<\/p>

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Is direct activism necessarily illegal?<\/b><\/h2>

No, at least not in democratic countries where movements of opposition to the government are allowed. Basically,<\/span><\/p>

1\u00b0 <\/b>Direct activists want to overthrow the power in place. They are typically violent and lead illegal movements (e.g. anarchists, terrorists, independentists).<\/span><\/p>

2\u00b0 <\/b>Activists mostly want to change their society\u2019s way of life and consumption and are typically non-violent (e.g. environmentalist, human rights, and anti-capitalist movements).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Furthermore, many contemporary leading activist figures encourage non-violent forms of activism. For example, Sarah Durieux, the former executive director of <\/span>change.org<\/span><\/a>, a platform that allows people to create online petitions, explains in her <\/span>activism guidebook<\/span><\/a> that she believes it is the most effective way to make your voices heard.<\/span><\/p>

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Why is that?<\/b><\/h2>

She <\/span>thinks<\/span><\/a> that non-violent activism is not only ethical but also tactical, as violent action allows governments to caricature counter-movements by accusing them of being illegitimate while legitimizing its status quo. Indeed, nonviolent resistance has been shown <\/span>empirically<\/span><\/a> to be twice as effective as armed struggle in achieving major political goals.<\/span><\/p>

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What are the other characteristics of non-violent activism?<\/b><\/h2>

Sociologists coined the term <\/span>New Social Movements<\/span><\/a> (NSMs) to speak of them. They are characterized by the emphasis they put on identity, lifestyle, and culture, (e.g. women\u2019s rights) rather than on economics or politics (e.g. workers\u2019 movements). They emerged in post-industrialist western countries in the 1960s, are social networks composed of supporters rather than formal organizations with members, can have an international echo rather than focus on hyper local issues, but adopt historical counter-power movements\u2019 tactics.<\/span><\/p>

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\"\u270a\" What are their means of action?<\/b><\/h2>

There are many different ways to lead non-violent activist movements, for example:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>