ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the history of popular social movement theories, tracing its path from its European foundations and relating the most critical theoretical frameworks to the African experience of rights movements and nation-building, from the period of independence. This chapter also analyses new social movements and considers the enormous influence that the advances in communication technology has had in building and sustaining social movements, with specific references to social media and other emerging forms of acquiring and disseminating information. It concludes that although the literature on socialisation into political engagement, exploring the different factors that impact on youth’s involvement in activism, is strong and interdisciplinary, the study of the conditions that are conducive to democratisation have not received systematic attention. Overall, questions remain on the boundaries of youth activism, the changing forms of engagement, the validity of analytical categories in different cultural contexts, and the mechanisms of interaction between the variables involved.
