ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how 'consciousness-raising', as it was understood, has become increasingly rare in relation to political discourse. There are three main aims behind awareness raising-campaigns. First, there is the fundraising aspect to them as they hope to increase charitable donations to their chosen cause. Second, there is an attempt to increase the public's knowledge of the issue in the hope that they will modify their behaviour and in the process reduce the risk of succumbing to ill health. Third, there is the positioning of the campaigners themselves whereby it is not just the issue that is advertised but the superior moral status of the campaigner. In its contemporary left-wing usage empowerment emerged alongside the radical political movements particularly in the USA. The 'new social movements' challenged the idea of a unique space of the political by questioning the narrow terrain of constitutional politics and problematizing the notion of any clear distinction between the political, social and personal.
