Social commentators (Evers, T., 1985; Ferguson, M., 1980; Hawken, P., 2012; Ireland,
R., 1998; Wikepedia, 2014) have reported on a new social phenomenon that commenced
around the 1960s and is massively expanding round the globe.
Going
under the term ‘new social movement(s) it has spread, according to Paul Hawken,
to all nations. He suggests that over a million different entities are
involved. Hawken suggests that the word ‘movement’
is hardly appropriate.
Some
feature:
§ No one is ‘running’ it.
§ There’s nothing to join as a ‘member’.
§ It is self organising.
§ It has a number of themes including:
§ evolving new:
o social,
o political,
o economic, and
o financial systems
o
§ using indigenous wisdoms;
§ caring for earth and all life forms, and
§ social justice.
A theme
weaving through the phenomena is increasing the quality of social relating.
This aspect is being supported through gatherings of many kinds and through informal
face-to-face networking aided by the Internet and texting.
Another
theme is consciousness raising – refer Realising Human Potential.
This
social phenomenon may well be one of the social forces contributing to
transitioning to a new epoch on earth.
Aspects
of this social phenomenon most functional attuned to unfolding contexts may
well survive and thrive.
References:
Evers, T., 1985. Identity:
The Hidden Side of New Social Movements in Latin America in Slater, D. (Ed.), 1985. New Social
Movements and the State in Latin America. Amsterdam: CEDLA Workshop Papers,
p 43-71.;
Ferguson, M., 1980. The
Aquarian Conspiracy: Personal and Social Transformation in the 1980s.
Los Angeles: J. P. Tarcher.
Hawken,
P., 2012. Blessed Unrest. Internet
source sighted Aug, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW8BytViI54
Ireland, R., 1998. Globalised
São Paulo as Invention and Happening: Lessons on a Train. In Houston C.,
Kurasawa, F. & Watson, A. (eds.), 1998 Imagined
Places: The Politics of Making Space. Melbourne:
La Trobe University.
Wikipedia, 2014. New Social
Movements. Enablers, T., 2014. Informal Networks and New Social Movements. Enablers,
T., 2014. The Fastest Growing New Social Movement on
the Planet. cited under Further
Readings. Internet Source sighted Nov 2014: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_social_movements
Resonant Links:
The
Fastest Growing New Social Movement on the Planet