SOCL19061 Movements, Cults and Social Change

Can people power really change the world, or do social movements inevitably become institutionalised and result in the formation of new elites? In this course we examine both the possibilities and the limits of the kind or radical transformation of society advocated and sometimes achieved by social movements. We look at a range of movements, including pro-democracy movements in East Asia, feminism, ultra-right nationalist movements, gay liberation, environmentalism and religious fundamentalism. Movements are compared on the one hand with more conventional political bodies such as parties and pressure groups, and on the other hand with cults. The new identities created through movements are analysed using a comparison with cults and the role of both as mediators of social change is considered.