Social movements

Features of ecological, class, caste and tribal movements.

Anthropology5 questions
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The essentials

A social movement is a sustained, collective effort by a group of people to bring about or resist social change. Unlike a single riot or protest, it has shared goals, some organisation, leadership and an ideology, and lasts over time. Movements may be reformist (seeking partial change), revolutionary (seeking total change) or redemptive (seeking change in individuals).

Key points

  • Common features: collective action, shared ideology, organisation and leadership, continuity over time, and a goal of change.
  • Ecological movements: protect forests, rivers and resources, often linking environment to livelihood. The Chipko movement (1970s, Uttarakhand Himalayas) in which villagers, many of them women, hugged trees to stop felling; associated with Sunderlal Bahuguna and Chandi Prasad Bhatt. The Narmada Bachao Andolan opposed displacement caused by large dams on the Narmada.
  • Class (peasant and workers') movements: based on economic interests, such as land rights, rent, wages. Examples: the Tebhaga movement in Bengal (1946–47), sharecroppers demanding two-thirds of the crop; the Telangana peasant struggle; trade union movements.
  • Caste movements: challenge caste discrimination or seek upward mobility. Examples: the Satyashodhak Samaj founded by Jyotiba Phule; the Self-Respect Movement led by E. V. Ramasamy (Periyar); Dalit movements inspired by B. R. Ambedkar; the SNDP movement led by Sree Narayana Guru in Kerala.
  • Tribal movements: concern land, forests, identity and autonomy. Examples: the Santhal Hul (1855–56), the Birsa Munda-led Ulgulan (1899–1900), the Jharkhand movement for a separate state (formed 2000).
  • Old social movements centred on class and political parties; "new social movements" focus on identity, environment, gender and quality of life.

Exam tips

  • Classify a movement by its main issue: forest/environment (ecological), wages/land rent (class), dignity/discrimination (caste), land-forest-identity of tribes (tribal).

Common mistakes

  • Calling a single spontaneous protest a movement.

Practice questions

The Chipko movement, in which villagers hugged trees to prevent felling, is an example of aEasy
The Ulgulan of 1899–1900 in the Chotanagpur region was led byEasy
Sharecroppers in Bengal organised to demand two-thirds of the harvest instead of half. This movement is best classified…Medium
Which feature distinguishes a social movement from a one-time street protest?Medium
The Satyashodhak Samaj founded by Jyotiba Phule and the Self-Respect Movement led by Periyar are both examples ofHard
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