Analyse how social movements form, organise and use collective action to bring about social change in Australian society.

What this dot point is asking

You must define social movements, explain why they form and how they organise, analyse their tactics and outcomes, and assess them as agents of change, with Australian examples.

What a social movement is

A social movement is more than a single protest or organisation. It is a sustained, organised effort by many people who share a goal of changing, or resisting change to, some aspect of society. Movements have a shared identity and grievance, a degree of organisation, and a sense of purpose that lasts over time. They sit between spontaneous crowds and formal institutions, mobilising ordinary people to pursue change outside or alongside official channels.

Why movements form

Movements arise from a combination of conditions. There must be a shared grievance, a sense that something is unjust or needs to change. There must be a belief that change is possible and that collective action can achieve it. And there must be the resources to organise, such as networks, leadership, communication and sometimes money. When grievance, opportunity and organisation come together, scattered discontent becomes an organised movement. The absence of any of these helps explain why some grievances never become movements.

Tactics of collective action

Movements use a range of tactics to pursue change.

• Public protest such as marches and rallies to demonstrate support and attract attention.
• Petitions and campaigns to show the scale of feeling and pressure decision-makers.
• Lobbying and negotiation to influence policy through formal channels.
• Civil disobedience, deliberately breaking rules to draw attention to injustice.
• Online mobilisation, using social media to organise, spread messages and coordinate quickly.

Movements usually combine tactics, and digital technology has made organising faster and cheaper than ever.

How movements succeed or fail

Movements achieve change by shifting public opinion, gaining media attention, building alliances and pressuring those with power, until reform becomes politically necessary. They face resistance from groups whose interests are threatened and from inertia in institutions. Many movements achieve partial rather than complete success, or change attitudes before they change laws. Evaluating a movement means looking at what it actually changed, not just its visibility.

Australian examples

Australian history is shaped by social movements. The campaign for Aboriginal rights, including the 1967 referendum, changed both attitudes and the constitution. The women's movement transformed law and workplaces over decades. The environmental movement has shaped policy and public attitudes to conservation and climate. The marriage equality campaign mobilised broad support and led to legal change in 2017. Each shows the process of forming, framing, organising and pressuring for change.

Connection to the rest of the course

This dot point deepens social change and continuity by focusing on movements as a key agent of change, and connects to power and authority, since movements challenge how power is used. It links to the media and technology, the tools movements use to mobilise. Social movements are excellent subjects for the folio, group activity and external investigation, since the group activity itself involves planning a form of collective social action.