Social and Political Movements vis-a-vis Positive Societal Transformation: Vehicle of Change

Even within the societal microcosm of the university campus, social movement mobilizations have been perceived with a wary eye by many due to the state's continued crackdown on activists who have spoken out against a multitude of injustices in our country. These forms of political action and organization have been challenged on many counts, most notably on how the state has undertaken a securitization tactic of the problem by enabling the surveillance, terror-tagging, and corralling of demonstrators as a form of collective street arrest. It has almost become the norm of today's times, with our very own parents threatening to withdraw us from the institution the moment that we join rallies and street protests. However, has this been the case since time immemorial? It is unbeknownst to many that social movements have served as the means by which political engagement has instigated profound transformations, reshaping societies on a global scale. The present-day political landscape is heavily influenced by social movements rather than solely by ideologies.

Most social movements widely known to many globally are those of the Black Lives Movement in the United States, the climate change movement, and the feminist movement. It can then be traced how these movements have functioned in domains of interest that initially fall beyond the scope of formal political agendas, even when these are overtly political. According to Drake (2010), it is also fundamentally involved in politics centered around representation. These movements frequently emerge in reaction to perceived injustices or disparities, aiming to question prevailing power dynamics and champion the rights and acknowledgment of individuals whose voices have traditionally been marginalized or suppressed. This involvement demonstrates a dedication to questioning and restructuring societal narratives, structures, and practices to mirror the diversity and intricacies of the population more accurately. Thus, it constitutes a proactive and transformative strategy aimed at cultivating a more inclusive and equitable society where the voices of all individuals are recognized and actively play a role in shaping the shared future.

We could also witness the progression of these social movements, which started with aims centering around citizen-state relations, as the campaigns of the 18th and 19th centuries were framed within the broader discourse of Enlightenment emancipation. They sought legitimacy through the shared goal of expanding human freedom for self-realization, yet its scope was restricted to requests directed at the institutional, formal, political, and legal framework. This explains why it began with the women's suffrage movement, advocating for objectives such as securing equal legal rights for women, encompassing the right to inherit property and the ability to file for divorce or marriage. Juxtaposing these into the new social movements of the 20th century, they are now based on gender, sexual, ethnic, or disability identities. They aim to emancipate a social identity perceived as stigmatized and oppressed within societal constructs. There has been a notable transition in political goals from the social redistribution of goods and opportunities to a focus on social recognition involving respect, inclusion, and the acknowledgment of differences.

How did these social movements appear and progress? Early manifestations of collective resistance to authority justified their actions based on divine authority and tradition, frequently asserting the restoration of lost liberties usurped illegitimately by contemporary power holders. However, these constituted similar sources of legitimation that those in positions of power claimed. As Foucault (1979) asserted, they employed the same discourse as the authority they contested. Consequently, they fell short in broadening their critique of the prevailing power structure, neglecting an examination of how those discourses and institutions actively shaped the very subject they endeavored to emancipate. The outcome was a mere shifting of boundaries, with the erstwhile norms being supplanted by new ones. Thus, emerging social movements during the 1960s and 1970s initiated resistance against the authority wielded by these institutions. They have acknowledged that the problem is within the system itself, so it is paramount to break away from it to address the root causes of the issues they are tackling. The nascent social movements endeavored to formulate alternative narratives that did not uphold the authority of expert discourses they contested, signifying a departure from the conventional methodology of preceding social movements.

Such development necessitated novel political means to accomplish the improved objectives. Thus, Tilly (2004) introduced the new "repertoires" of political action, wherein the traditional tools or mechanisms of political engagement, such as newspapers, political parties, and hierarchical command structures, were frequently regarded as part of the problem. In contrast to the reactive uprisings characteristic of earlier modes of resistance, social movements functioned through persistent public endeavors, asserting claims on targeted authorities, often manifested as a campaign. Their primary demands were typically directed towards the state, positioning themselves within a national context. Moreover, they cultivated distinct political modalities for action and organization, such as petition signings, unity statements through various media platforms, special-purpose coalitions, pamphleteering, demonstrations, and rallies. These are evident in our modern-day mobilizations, wherein there are multiple arenas of struggle for individuals to engage in. Protests are only a speck of social movements. There are many things that the public does not see nor appreciate – groundwork, advocacy, and policy lobbying, among countless other means. All these entail significant resources and are utterly dangerous, especially in a shrinking civic space. Nonetheless, Tilly (2004) further posits that it evolved into a conventional method of political engagement due to its instrumental and symbolic efficacy.

These seemingly conflicting analytical frameworks on social movements are two sides of the same coin, mutually necessary. One is the resource mobilization framework that centers on movements as the allocation and utilization of resources to influence policy through political mechanisms. The other is the social creativity approach, which emphasizes the impact of movements in shaping identities and contributing to cultural transformation. Every subsequent campaign raised inquiries about aspects its predecessors had refrained from challenging. A case in point would be the feminist movement, which limited its challenge to women's formal legal and political standing in its early stages. The "second wave" of feminism interrogated lingering inequities within the private domain and how gender inequality became ingrained in cultural and ideological frameworks. It is insufficient to stop solely at clinching political avenues for women to engage in and influence specific policies, as the problem is still rooted in the beliefs and cultures across societies. This paves the way for accomplishing broader social and cultural change that addresses the issues holistically.

Looking back on how these social movements have appeared and progressed and how they expanded into novel forms of politics, it can be observed that, from their inception, they challenged the confines of the political sphere rather than merely functioning within the established parameters of politics. Established political affiliations have emerged and operated in a disempowering capacity rather than an empowering one, susceptible to compromises, liabilities, and assimilation into the interests of established power. This limits how we perceive ourselves and how we can express ourselves to what society and established institutions accept, reinforcing authority that can be used for specific interests. These novel approaches to effecting social change successfully altered social attitudes and introduced new ways to live. May we continue to resist the prevailing oppressive forces that try to stifle progressive changes in our Philippine society.

References:

Drake, M. (2010). Political Sociology for a Globalizing World. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Foucault, M. (1979). The History of Sexuality, Vol. I: An Introduction. London: Penguin.

Tilly, C. (2004). Social Movements, 1768–2004. Boulder, CO: Paradigm.