The South African Civil Society Information Service

Manuel Castells: "Social Movements are Destined to Die"

9 May 2013

How did the financial crash in Iceland inspire the Spanish Indignados and Occupy Wall Street movements? Why did the Arab Spring in North Africa end with Islamists running Egypt? How did the peaceful movement against a dictatorship in Syria degenerate into an all out civil war?

World famous Spanish sociologist, Manuel Castells, best known for his research on the information society, communication and globalization, talks about the emergence and characteristics of new social movements around the world. He argues that social movements are cultural movements that are distinct from political movements. He refers to them as “romantic creatures” that are “destined to die”.

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