Lions and Tigers and Bears:

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Lions and Tigers and Bears

• How social movements are structured, or, some
  typologies of social movements

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Some commonly made distinctions between social
movements other types of social pressure groups
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4 types of social movementsWhat is the main
type of organization that promotes the cause?
Who/what dominates the movement at particular
periods in time?
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 1. grassroots model relatively informal and
decentralized structureemphasis on protest
politics and a reliance on committed adherents 

• Examples-
• Landless Workers Movement (Brazil) anti-war
  movement in the 1960s

MST (Landless Workers Movement) action in Brazil.
Photo http//www.mstbrazil.org/background.html
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2. interest-group modelemphasis on influencing
policies (via lobbying, for instance), and a
reliance on formal organization.  

• EXAMPLES Human rights movement parts of the
  environmental movement

Children in Colombia demonstrating for peace in
their community. Photo Amnesty International.
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3. party-oriented modelemphasis on electoral
process, party politics, and a reliance on formal
organization  

• EXAMPLES the Greens (of Europe) the Christian
  Right (U.S.) in the 1980s (and today)

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4. Guerrilla-oriented model emphasis on armed
contention, usually dominated by one
organization

• Example Tamil movement, Sri Lanka Kurdish
  movement in Turkey, 1980s and early 1990s

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Points to Remember

• 1- Many social movements are a mix of these types
  dont fit neatly into ideal type
  categorizations
• 2-Different models provide social movements with
  different resources, opportunities, and
  constraints
• 3- Social Movement types often vary change over
  time.
• 4-Figuring out why 3 occurs makes for
  fascinating research