The will to change the world: a study of the engagement in social movements in general and Amnesty Sweden in particular

Abstract: Social movements are an important part of our history. It often reflects conflicts in society, and has many different faces and ambitions. The human rights movement is one of them. Since the 18th century, the thought of human rights have developed and the values of human beings are now protected by laws and conventions. Still to this day, violations of these rights are common. Organizations like Amnesty International are daily working to stop these violations. But as the organization grows, the ideological reasons for joining are affected by bureaucracy and other internal factors. This essay is a study of how the engagement in social movements, and human rights movements in particular, are affected by internal and external factors. To explain this problem, theories of social movements are combined with an empirical study of the engagement of members of Amnesty in Sweden.