ABSTRACT
Social movements share four dimensions: an active network of individuals groups and organisations; a sense of shared identity; a conflict with powerful political actors; and the use of protest and direct action strategic repertoires. The peace marches that took place around the world on the weekend of 15 February 2003 were a powerful social movement action that attracted hundreds of thousands of people in cities everywhere. 'Social change' is when the values, norms, practices and belief systems of a society change. These changes in values are mainly instigated by social movements and usually have an effect on institutional structures, such as government and policy processes. Processes influenced by participatory democracy were fundamental to the emergence of New Left social movement groups based around environmental and women's issues in the early 1970s in Australia. Social movements come into being and to a large extent exist apart from formal political institutions, such as parliament and political parties.
