Introduction
The term “social change,” or more often just “change,” is frequently heard in today’s popular and political discourse, often as a positive referent. Yet the meaning and content of this “change” are most often unspecified, and people across the ideological spectrum sometimes use the term. For social scientists and others for whom social change is a focus of studied attention, what defines and constitutes social change is more widely agreed yet still complex and contested.
The place of organizationsin bringing about and sustaining social change is likewise debated though increasingly there is agreement that stable and well-resourced change-oriented organizations, preferably with paid staff, are necessary – or at least desirable – for significant and lasting change. Yet, some still argue that establishing formal organizations weakens social change efforts. This school of thought – largely outside the purview of this entry – prefers protest activity that is less reliant on...
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Ostrander, S.A. (2010). Social Change Organizations. In: Anheier, H.K., Toepler, S. (eds) International Encyclopedia of Civil Society. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-93996-4_115
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