Movements Without Leaders

After reading Movements Without Leaders by Bill McKibben and From Civil Rights to Megachurches by Charles Duhigg, readers can see many similarities and differences between how both authors describe the process of social change. One idea that McKibben and Duhigg share is the idea that for social change to happen there must be change occurring throughout small groups. Rather than social change starting from the top by a major political head but instead a spark of change starting within a small group or as Duhigg described as close tie relationship. McKibben describes this process as millions of small group interactions supporting similar causes across a nation or even the world will result in mass change. These tactics of starting in small in many different places with catch the attention of people from all over not just one specific areas resulting in more drastic and quicker changes. But McKibben’s complete idea for social change does not completely a line with Duhigg’s. Duhigg described that the process may start within close tie relationships but social change is not completely carried out within these relationships but they catch the attention of a public figure resulting in a face of the campaign. McKibben rather explains that there is no need for a figure head or leader for a movement to have drastic effects.