CONCEPT PAPER FOR TOPIC PRESENTATION

Topic: New Social Movements

Source/Reference: Political Sociology by Keith Faulks (1999)

Discussant: Ryan Paul C. Rufino

Date of Presentation: December 14, 2017

A. SUMMARY

 At the onset of the Chapter, Faulks (1999) presented the New Social Movement thesis
and defined social movements as groups of people with similar ways of thinking or
thoughts which aggregated themselves into different forms to implement or to stop
social change.
 Contrary to the workers’ movement, New social Movements (NSMs) do not aim to
control government due to their skepticism of any centralized and hierarchical form of
governance. New Social Movements therefore do not consider state as tool that can
be utilized to create social justice and ensure democratic accountability.
 Melucci (1995), as cited by Faulks, contends that ‘one of the defining characteristics of
NSMs is that even when the action is located at a specific and particularistic level,
actors display a high degree of awareness of planetary interdependence.’
 Furthermore, Garner (1996), as cited by Faulks (1999), asserts that unlike the goal of
the workers’ movement and Marxist theory to impose a sudden and total
transformation of the social order, NSMs believe that partial, local, and continuous
changes will contribute to the transformation that is same to what is expected to a
revolution.
 Scott (1990), as cited by Faulks, claims that educated middle classes or the privileged
section of generally less privileged groups are the prime movers of the New Social
Movements.
 Faulks claimed that some NSMs theorist emphasized that social movements do not
merely assert class interests and should be seen as going beyond the limits of class
relations. Also, some theorists radically defined class; causing them to adapt a class
analysis in studying social movements.
 Touraine contends that social movements constitute a communal behavior of a class
actor struggling against the rival of their class to control the conflict over the
competing value system through which the architecture of society is constructed.
Touraine further contends that individuals are responsible for their own history; that
social life are caused by cultural achievements and social conflicts.
 Eder also emphasized that social movements should be analyzed simultaneously in
terms of culture and the revised concept of class. Hence, he claims that (1) we cannot
only categorize class conflict as a mere struggle between capital and labour, (2) that
the concept of Class still remains a utility for NSMs, and (3) using class in a way that
emphasizes cultural and material conflicts opens the possibility to unravel unkown
social conflicts that is possibly be based on social divisions.
 Touraine contends that technocratic states colonizes the civil society for it tries to
inhibit the self-management of social problems and making the civil society
dependent on the solution it gives.
 Hence, Melucci asserts that in order for NSMs to redefine democracy, public spaces
independent from the organs of the government should be created and maintained.
 In terms of support, NSMs gain strength from loose networks of affiliation of like
minded individuals and sporadic actions such as demonstrations, attracting media
attentions, and organizations of petitions. Through these processes, they can easily
maintain their ideological purity and independence, as well as influencing public
opinion.
 Faulks contends that the problem with the NSMs thesis is that it focused more on the
alleged cultural and social novelty; failing to answer the question of how NSMs are
organized, what resources they use to assert their aims, and in what ways they
interact with the state and other political actors.
 Consequently, Scott (1990), as cited by Faulks, found that there is indeed a diversity of
ideologies which can be determined either within the grounds of conventional left-
and right-wing lines.
 Additionaly, Jordan and Moloney (1997) also presses the question of whether NSMS
can be both non-institutional and Successful in reality.
 Faulks redefined NSMs as ideological and politically innovative subsector of a wider
social movement.
 Moreover, Faulks also contends that NSMs thesis overstated the autonomy which
they wish to maintain from the state; further stressing that many issues raised by
NSMs focused upon the extending the citizenship of the state.
 McAdam (1996) outlined the following as factors that shape NSMs ability to influence
the political agenda.
(1) Relative openness of the state to changes that arise in civil society,
(2) Stability of elite alignments;
(3) Support of the elite allies to the proposes social change;
(4) Nature of social control mechanisms and the states willingness to
suppress demonstrations and formation of new movements;
 Gledhill (1994) claimed that Touraine often portrayed a Eurocentric approach for he
defines the ‘explosion of social movements’ as conditional on society’s development.

B. OBJECTIVES OF THE PRESENTATION

 Distinguish the difference between the traditional social movements and new social
movements
 Determine and analyze the elements and assumption of the new social movement
thesis.
 Assess whether these elements and assumptions are relevant in the contemporary
discussion of the state and civil society relationship.

C. DISCUSSION OUTLINE

 Discuss the different elements and assumptions of the new social movements thesis.
 Explain Touraine and Eder’s redefinition of Class
 Explain the difference of the new social movement from the traditional social
movement; highlighting their focus and compositions
 Present a discourse regarding the elements of new social movements; whether it is
present in the rise of the existing social movements
 Discuss the different criticisms of the New social movements
 Emphasize on the inevitability of states’ interference in the domain of the civil society
 Conclude the report with a synthesis

D. CONCEPTUAL APPLICATION PLAN

E. SYNTHESIS POINTS
 New social movements emanate due to their lack of trust to the state to promote
an inclusive type of democracy.
  States’ embodiment of inequalities that is present in society has been highlight in
their peculiar ways of campaign. Moreover, it does not makes the state impotent;
rather, it unravels the problems of the state.
 State remains a potent actor and all social movements should deal directly with for
it would be futile to enact social change without the help of the state.
 Processes undergone by new social movements were important in changing the
context where state operates.

F. REFLECTION AND PERSONAL INSIGHTS.

 The new social movements thesis made me understand the true reason why social
movements emanate. Moreover, the discussion in the chapter made me realize that
social movements do not diminish states’ power. Instead, new social movement
emanated because they are pessimistic about states failure to uphold social justice.
 Furthermore, the discussion also made me realize that it is impossible for the civil
society to deviate from the powers of the state because at the end, state serves as
an arbiter to balance the conflicting interests.
 Hence, new social movements are an effective agent to articulate class’ interest so
that the state, as an arbiter, can easily determine and balance the interest of diverse
groups.