Activism, in a general sense, can be described as involvement in action to bring about change, be it social, political, environmental, or other change. This action is in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial argument.
In contemporary use, "activism" tends to be a word associated with the actions and ideologies of those on the political left. However, the activism industry includes organizations of many orientations.
There are many different forms of activism; a select list follows.
An activist has the kind of skills that aren't taught in school and the kind of skills for which you don't get a diploma.
When he or she returns to his hometown from college in Manila, with or without a diploma, he or she becomes an asset, with talents that would be easily parlayed by politicians in need of organizers, propagandists, and operatives.
As teenagers, we committed to memory the whole spectrum of Philippine politics, and we knew by heart the nature and characteristics of social classes.
The terms activism and activist used in a political manner first appeared in the Belgian press in 1916 in connection with the Flamingant movement.
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.
Wade decision, and perhaps earlier, in the United States "activist" has often been used as a pejorative for those judges who seek to redress social ills through judicial rather than legislative action.