one who is active in the political arena in general or with a particular political party in particular
Activism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about
social or
political change. This action is in support of, or opposition to, one side of an often
controversial argument.The well known terms activism and activist used in a political manner first appeared in the
Belgian press in
1916 in connection with the
Flamingant movement. The word "activism" is often used
synonymously with
protest or
dissent, but activism can stem from any number of political orientations and take a wide range of forms, from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning,
economic activism (such as
boycotts or preferentially patronizing preferred businesses), rallies and
street marches,
strikes, or even
guerrilla tactics. In the more confrontational cases, an activist may be called a
freedom fighter by some, and a
terrorist by others, depending on whether the commentator supports the activist's ends.
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