Types of movements

A. Protest movement

• Protest movements are those movements whose objective is to oppose or change some of the present social condition.
• Examples in the United States are: feminist movement, civil right movement, anti-nuclear movement, environmental movement etc.
• There are two types of protest movement. They are: (a) Reform movement and (b) Revolutionary movement.

I. Reform movement

• Reform movement refers to the attempt of modifying society
• Reform movement can operate in a democratic society where people have freedom to criticize the existing institutions and may secure changes.
• Movement to abolish untouchability, dowry system, control population growth, are examples of reform movement.

II. Revolutionary movement

• This type of movement seeks to overthrow the existing social system and replace it with a greatly different one.
• Revolutionary movement wants to eradicate the system itself.
• Revolutionary movement flourishes where reform movement is blocked so that revolution remains the people only alternative to their present misery.
• For example, in Nepal, we had a movement for democratic system in 2007 and also to promulgate multi-party system in 2046.

B. Regressive movement /Resistance movement

• Regressive movements are social movement whose objective is to undo social change or oppose a protest movement.
• An example would be anti – feminist movement that opposes recent changes in the role and status of woman, urging them to remain at home and employment.

C. Religious movement

• This type of movement can be supernatural, which oppose or propose alternative to some aspect of the dominant religion or culture.
• This broad category includes many sects, and even some relatively institutionalized temples that nonetheless oppose some element of the dominant religion or culture.
• Examples in India are Sheikh’s movements of Golden Temple in Punjab; movement related to Babari Maszid etc.

D. Communal movement

• This sort of movement occurs mainly due to the hierarchy and inequality in the society that characterize more typical work organization.
• Communal movement attempts to bring about change through example by building a model society among a small group.
• Followers of communal movements seek not to challenge conventional society directly, but rather to build alternatives to it.

E. Migratory movement

• Migratory movement occurs when a large number of people leave one place and settle to another place (either nation to nation or within nation).
• The cause of migratory movement could be in variety of ways.
• For example, people move in search of better opportunity compared to present system, natural calamities, communicable diseases etc.
• Generally migratory social movement occurs only when there is a common focus of discontent, a shared purpose or hope for the future and a widely shared decision to move a new location.

F. Expressive movement

• When people realized unpleasant social system from which they cannot feel and which they feel powerless to change, the result is an expressive social movement.
• In this situation people would like to modify their reactions to that reality. They tried to ignore the miserable present and fixes their gaze upon a glorious future. The Hippie movement is an expressive social movement.

G. Utopian movement

• In this movement people would like to create an ideal social system or a perfect society which can be found only in man’s imagination and not in reality. This type of movement is based on a conception of man as basically good, cooperative and altruistic.
• The Sarvodaya movement can be called a utopian movement.