Introduction

Abstract

Martin Luther King’s call for action, expressed at the height of the Civil Rights Movement nearly 50 years ago, continues to resonate across the world. In the intervening decades, there has probably not been a day without protests, conferences, sit-ins, blockades, demonstrations, or strikes. These actions, which normally take place when conventional channels of political participation are either blocked or non-existent, have proved vital for the advancement of the democratic agenda in societies. In the 1960s and 1970s, great democratic reforms and societal transformations such as the civil rights legislation passed in large part due to the unrelenting dedication and actions of committed individuals, such as Martin Luther King and groups such as Students for a Democratic Society (McAdam, 1982; Wei, 1993). In the 1980s, individual and collective actions forced postmaterialist concerns, such as peace and the dangers associated with nuclear plants, onto the political agenda. More recently, actors in so-called “new social movements” have influenced societies by promoting tolerance toward formerly fringe groups, such as gays, lesbians, or other minorities in society (Del Pozo Avina, 2006; Escobar and Alvarez, 1992).

‘Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter’

(Martin Luther King Jr. 1963)