February 2
This week, and last, we discussed in class what it takes for a movement to be considered a social movement. Through these discussions, the reading, and the microtheme discussion I was surprised to discover how few of the movements are considered social movements. Before the start of the semester I could not have been able to define what a social movement was. Now I can, and it is increasingly interesting to me how many movements are out there and how many do not qualify as a social movement. It seems to me that where most of the movements falter are in their WUNC displays. In the research I did and through the discussion on Wednesday, it appears that most movements lack one, if not multiple, of the WUNC categories; worthiness, unity, numbers and commitment. What I noticed is that for many of the movements discussed, it was hard to define some of the categories, because the movements were inconsistent and on a more personal basis, rather than on a public, political level. I find that intriguing!
Good observation. I was thinking about the same thing when it comes to WUNC displays. Maybe because it consist of four characteristics that is harder to meet. Although WUNC display is only 1/3 of the requirements to be considered a social movement, it is a big 1/3.
ReplyDeleteVery true. What is interesting is that many of these movements are more private, and fought on a personal level. This fact makes defining the WUNC displays harder.
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