Is the difference between new social movements and older social movements really that substantial? New social movement scholars argue that older social movements were primarily concerned with matters of the economy and social status through class struggle, while new social movements differ in their considerations of identity, personal goals, and protecting the lifeworld. In this paper, I argue that the concept of new social movements is not as distinct as some scholars may imagine it, as in fact the movement of the Flagellanti, which was a religious movement that started nearly 800 years ago, would fit descriptions of new social movements as defined by key scholars like Touraine, Habermas, and Castells.
