Introduction
Unlike Western New Social Movements (NSMs) driven primarily by post-material values such as lifestyle and identity (as conceptualized by Jürgen Habermas), NSMs in developing nations emerge from systemic socio-economic crises and the fundamental 'politics of survival'. In the Global South, these mobilizations reflect widespread disillusionment with the post-colonial developmental state and neo-liberal development paradigms.
Key Drivers of New Social Movements in Developing Countries
- Failure of the Developmental State: Inequitable post-colonial growth caused a crisis of state legitimacy and institutional gridlock. Rajni Kothari observed that this failure spawned 'Non-Party Political Formations' (NPPFs)—grassroots formations operating outside traditional electoral parties to demand institutional accountability, as exemplified by the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) spearheading the Right to Information movement.
- Ecological and Livelihood Crises: State-led mega-projects and resource extraction disproportionately alienate Common Property Resources (CPRs). Ramachandra Guha and Joan Martinez-Alier theorized this dynamic as the 'Environmentalism of the Poor', wherein environmental conservation represents an existential survival imperative rather than an aesthetic preference (e.g., Narmada Bachao Andolan and the Dongria Kondh resistance against bauxite mining).
- Subaltern Identity Assertion: Modern nation-building projects often homogenized diverse populations, marginalizing vulnerable demographics. Scholars such as Gail Omvedt and T.K. Oommen argue that Southern NSMs serve as vehicles for subaltern communities—including Dalits, Adivasis, and women—to assert dignity and demand intersectional social justice (e.g., Dalit Panthers).
- Neo-Liberal Globalization: Structural adjustment programs and economic liberalization have accelerated land alienation, labor informalization, and dispossession, triggering vigorous anti-displacement and anti-corporate resistances across developing economies (e.g., the anti-POSCO movement in Odisha).
Conclusion
In the Global South, New Social Movements represent a radical process of grassroots democratization rather than abstract identity assertion. By contesting state-capital monopolies, they redefine development paradigms to center on ecological sustainability, participatory democracy, and equitable resource redistribution.