Civic Activism as a Novel Component of Armenian Civil Society

Stage 1: Personal Development
The phenomenon called activism starts from an understanding of belonging to a society in chorus
while becoming a person who cares about (or is not indifferent towards) surrounding
developments. The belonging to society stage starts from an understanding of fundamental rights
and freedoms. Understanding constitutional rights is imperative and a precondition for any
deliberation over the definition of activism. Understanding constitutional rights is what
differentiates an activist citizen from just citizen with a passport. Hence, activism has to be
directly related to and viewed from the perspective of education. In its initial phase, it is the
process of knowledge accumulation and the development of self-consciousness, which brings
with it a demand for higher standards of life, defined as justice and rule of law. Stemming from
the same argument, there will be little room for uneducated individuals, or those with limited
knowledge, to advocate for importance of the public good. Activism at this stage concerns
understanding the importance of waging an educated battle, based on verified information,
research and analysis.
The more people learn, the more they will demand a better life, and they will also be
prepared to struggle for a system to function properly; this is especially true under authoritarian
regimes. This process of a constant longing or desire to learn more constitutes civic activism,
whereby an activist is a conscious citizen prepared to challenge people or institutions attempting
to violate human rights.
Stage 2: Behavioural development
Civic activists constitute the stratum of population who not only know their rights but are also
courageous enough to defend them. The culmination of the first stage of development leads to a
change in behaviour. The change of behaviour is manifested in the performance of a certain plan
of actions, based on an awareness of rights and duties, as well as a readiness to raise issues of
public importance in support of a general cause. The behaviour shift is also linked to the
understanding that participation in elections alone (as a means of raising public voice) is
absolutely insufficient. It is a change of behaviour intended to make the activist permanently
engaged in public affairs. Activists start advocating for a cause in the public interest.
An important dimension of this stage of development further includes the behaviour shift
resulting in activities outside of a person’s specialisation, occupation or formal affiliation. It
becomes a responsibility to contribute to the public benefit, not necessarily due to a professional
duty or during working hours.
Stage 3: Methods of action, performance
The development of the second stage inevitably results in the application of certain methods or
techniques to make the behaviour shift tangible. The understanding of activism in its third stage
primarily concerns the concept of participation, which is divided into online and offline
participation. While the overwhelming majority views the phenomenon as occurring on the
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