This e-learning session is the first in a series of AWID webinars to celebrate the launchof their publication ‘Changing their world: concepts and practices of women’smovements, second edition’. This webinar was hosted by Srilatha Batliwala (long-time grassroots activist, renowned gender equality advocate, and women’s studies scholar) who edited the publication. During the session, participants were able to engage through real-time polling, speaking, and and using the chat boxes while others spoke to indicate if they were in agreement or not.
Srilatha’s presentation, ‘Movements and why they matter’ covered the following points:
– What is a movement?
– What is movement building?
– Key characteristics of movements
– Why movements matter for social transformation
– How do movements begin?
– Key steps in movement building
– Different stages of growth and levels of maturity of movements
– The relationship between movements and organisations
– What are organisations?
– Types of organisations in the social movement sphere
– Movements contain two types of organisations: formal and informal
– Roles organisations play in movements.
Movements are said to matter because they can create change from individual to systemic levels, in both formal and informal domains.
The presentation was followed by discussion between some of the ‘Changing their world’ case study authors and Srilatha. This was followed by questions and discussion from participants on a range of issues including: the bottom-up and sustainable nature of movements; different kinds of activists (volunteers and paid); women’s issues in minority movements, and minority issues in the women’s movement; intergenerational issues and the inclusion of young people in gender and social justice movements; as well as the different tactics and strategies of social justice and women’s movements versus fundamentalist movements.
Srilatha finished the webinar with a summary of the main points covered, including enabling and disabling environments for women’s movements (financial pressures, government suppression of movement activism). Really interesting topics from the discussion that she highlights are: leadership, power and conflict within movement structures; sustainability and the long-term survival of movements; and the differences between ours and other kinds of movements.
This webinar is also available as a podcast.