Civic Activism as a Novel Component of Armenian Civil Society

street, activism can take different forms and include a range of methods of resistance, including
the analysis of policies or circumstances.
Activism is engagement in the economic, political or social life of a country. An example
of this stage is participation in the budgetary process. For instance, it is the struggling to put a
mechanism in place that will allow public participation in the decision-making processes over
drafting a budget (an essential aspect of public affairs). An ordinary citizen with no affiliation
should participate in hearings over the drafting of a budget. The methods and means employed
on the way to achieving one’s purpose refer to this stage of performance development.
A frequent subject in the debate on definitions of activism concerns whether it
presupposes a struggle in favour of a beneficial purpose. Do we know that something is activism
because the cause is justified? Some argue that this is the case, while others disagree. The
argument is that something becomes ‘activism’ whenever a group of people take a consequent
plan of actions to achieve a goal, no matter its cause.
Every person or organisation chooses the level of involvement and methods to employ.
Therefore, it is difficult to arrive at a single definition. The concept is rather expressed as a
matter of visibility: if one’s actions are invisible to the community, then it is not activism. To
observe the true meaning at work, it is essential that specific techniques be applied that result in
societal impact and social change.
Stage 4: Outcome and impact
The most popular definition of activism generated as a result of this study is change. If the first
three stages are successfully completed, a change will occur, which is defined as impact. The
description of the concept in its last stage of development is synonymous with an end-result or an
outcome, advancement or progress, the achievement or change per se. Such development is a
product of collective reactions to governmental policy-making, which is transformed due to
continuous impulses conveyed to the public by activists. Activists act as bridges for progress,
linking the detached public to the government by raising issues necessitating attention before the
latter can develop into disasters.
Taking responsibility for the well-being of a community, as expressed in physical
participation, influences larger processes. Activism is impact and a process leading a country to
development.
As a part of a state-building process, civic activism should be approached under the
constitutional framework, with each constituent (citizen) having to play his or her part in it.
Table 4 presents typologies developed based on participants’ perceptions, attitudes and
beliefs with regard to activism (defined in words or phrases).
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