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Activism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action or inaction to bring about social or political change. This action is in support of, or opposition to, one side of an often controversial argument. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Social change (or Social development) is a general term which refers to: change in the nature, the social institutions, the social behaviour or the social relations of a society, community of people, or other social structures. ... For other uses, see Politics (disambiguation). ... For the Wikipedia policy regarding controversial issues in articles, see Wikipedia:Guidelines for controversial articles. ...

 well known terms activism and activist used in a political manner first appeared in the Belgian press in 1916 in connection with the Flamingo movement. The word "activism" is often used synonymously with protest or dissent, but activism can stem from any number of political orientations and take a wide range of forms, from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism (such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing preferred businesses), rallies and street marches, strikes, or even guerrilla tactics. In the more confrontational cases, an activist may be called a freedom fighter by some, and a terrorist by others, depending on whether the commentator supports the activist's ends. 

In some cases, activism has nothing to do with protest or confrontation: for instance, some religious, feminist or vegetarian/vegan activists try to persuade people to change their behavior directly, rather than persuade governments to change laws. The cooperative movement seeks to build new institutions which conform to cooperative principles, and generally does not lobby or protest politically. Year 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Species See text For other uses, see Flamingo (disambiguation). ... Synonyms (in ancient Greek syn συν = plus and onoma όνομα = name) are different words with similar or identical meanings. ... Demonstrators march in the street while protesting the World Bank and International Monetary Fund on April 16, 2005. ... Dissent is a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to an idea (eg. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Look up Boycott in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Demonstration. ... “Guerrilla” redirects here. ... Freedom fighter is a relativistic local term for those engaged in rebellion against an established organization that is thought to be oppressive. ... Terrorist redirects here. ... Religious is a term with both a technical definition and folk use. ... Feminism is a social theory and political movement primarily informed and motivated by the experience of women. ... For animals adapted to eat primarily plants, sometimes referred to as vegetarian animals, see Herbivore. ... Hens kept in cramped conditions — the avoidance of animal suffering is the primary motivation of people who become vegans A vegan is a person who avoids the ingestion or use of animal products. ... A cooperative (also co-operative or co-op) is an association of persons who join together to carry on an economic activity of mutual benefit. ...

Transformational activism

Transformational activism is the idea that people need to transform on the inside as well on the outside in order to create any meaningful change in the world. Peacekeeping, as defined by the United Nations, is "a way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainable peace."[1]. Peacekeepers monitor and observe peace processes in post-conflict areas and assist ex-combatants in implementing the peace agreements they may have signed. Such assistance comes in many forms, including confidence-building measures, power-sharing arrangements, electoral support, strengthening the rule of law, and economic and social development. Accordingly UN peacekeepers (often referred to as Blue Helmets because of their light blue helmets) can include soldiers, civilian police officers, and other civilian personnel.

Types of activism

• Civil disobedience
• Community building
  • Activism industry
  • Cooperative movement
  • Craftivism
  • Voluntary simplicity
  • Pro-activism
• Economic activism
  • Boycott
  • Divestment (a.k.a. Disinvestment)
• Franchise activism
• Lobbying
• Media activism
  • Culture jamming
  • Hacktivism
  • Internet activism
• Propaganda
  • Guerrilla communication
• Non-violent confrontation
• Violent confrontation
  • Rioting
  • Terrorism
• Protest
  • Demonstration
  • Direct action
  • Theater for Social Change
  • Protest songs
• Strike action
• Youth activism
  • Student activism
  • Youth-led media

For other uses, see Civil disobedience (disambiguation). ... Community building is a field of practices directed toward the creation or enhancement of community between individuals within a regional area (such as a neighbourhood) or with a common interest. ... The activism industry is composed of organizations and individuals who make a living from activism, involvement in action to bring about change. ... For other uses, see Coop. ... Craftivism is a form of activism, typically for social justice or environmentalism, that is centred around practices of craft - especially handicrafts. ... Voluntary simplicity (or simple living) is a lifestyle considered by its adherents to be a sustainable, ecologically sensitive alternative to the typical, western consumerist lifestyle. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Look up Boycott in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Disinvestment, sometimes referred to as divestment, refers to the use of a concerted economic boycott, with specific emphasis on liquidating stock, to pressure a government towards policy or regime change. ... Franchise activism refers to forms of activism carried out by autonomous individuals or groups in different localities under the same name. ... This article is about the political effort. ... Media activism is activism that uses media and communication technologies for social movement, and/or tries to change policies relating to media and communication (media policy activism). ... Culture jamming is the act of transforming existing mass media to produce commentary about itself, using the original mediums communication method. ... Hacktivism (from hack and activism) is often understood as the writing of code, or otherwise manipulating bits, to promote political ideology - promoting expressive politics, free speech, human rights, or information ethics. ... Internet activism (also known as electronic advocacy, cyberactivism, and online organizing) is the use of communication technologies such as e-mail, web sites, and podcasts for various forms of activism to enable faster communications by citizen movements and deliver a message to a large audience. ... For other uses, see Propaganda (disambiguation). ... The terms guerrilla communication and communication guerrilla refer to unconventional forms of communication and/or intervention in more conventional processes of communication. ... Nonviolence (or non-violence), whether held as a moral philosophy or only employed as an action strategy, rejects the use of physical violence in efforts to attain social, economic or political change. ... For other uses, see Violence (disambiguation). ... Categories: Stub | Riots ... Terrorist redirects here. ... Demonstrators march in the street while protesting the World Bank and International Monetary Fund on April 16, 2005. ... For other uses, see Demonstration. ... For the Canadian urban guerrilla group Direct Action, see Squamish Five. ... Theatre for Development, or TfD, means live performance, or theater used as a development tool -- as in international development. ... A protest song is often a kind of folk music, but in recent times protest songs come from all genres of music, including punk rock and hip hop. ... Strike action, often simply called a strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal by employees to perform work. ... Youth activism is best summarized as youth voice engaged in community organizing for social change. ... Students occupying Sheffield town hall over the introduction of higher education fees Student activism is work done by students to effect political, environmental, economic, or social change. ... Youth-Led media is any effort created, planned, implemented, and reflected upon by young people in the form of media, i. ...

See also

• Category:Activists
• Activism industry
• Civics
• Demagogy
• Judicial activism
• Lobbying
• Political Campaign
• Protest
• Rebellion
• Reform movement
• Revolution
• Social movement
• Teaching for social justice