Activism
Activism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about
social or
political change. This action is in support of, or opposition to, one side of an often
controversial argument.
The terms activism and activist used in a political manner first appeared in the
Belgian press in
1916 in connection with the
Flamingant movement.
1 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 and
feminist 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 its principles, and generally does not lobby or protest politically.
Since the
Roe v. 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. Thus many
conservative politicians have sought to curb the power of those deemed "activist
judges" whom they claim are acting outside traditional boundaries of
judicial review [
1]. Some
liberals contend that
judicial activism is a long-standing US legal tradition, while others have responded that judicial activism is equally or more prevalent among judges deemed conservative [
2].
*
Civil disobedience*
Community building**
Activism industry**
Cooperative movement
**
Craftivism**
Voluntary simplicity*
Economic activism**
Boycott**
Divestment*
Lobbying*
Media activism**
Culture jamming**
Hacktivism**
Internet activism*
Propaganda**
Electronic advocacy**
Guerrilla communication*
Non-violent confrontation*
Violent confrontation*
Protest**
Demonstration**
Direct action**
Student activism**
Theater for Social Change*
Strike action*
Social activism*
:Category:Activists*
Activism industry*
Civics*
Demagogy*
Judicial activism*
Lobbying*
Political Campaign*
Rebellion*
Reform movement*
Revolution*
Social movement*
Wikia:Activism
