boycotting

Boycotting is a form of protest in which individuals or groups abstain from buying, using, or dealing with a person, organization, or country to press for change in policy or practice. It relies on economic, social, or reputational pressure to influence behavior.

Etymology: The term derives from Captain Charles Boycott, an Irish land agent whose social ostracism by local tenants in 1880 inspired the word.

Forms and tactics: Boycotts can be consumer, labor, political, or moral in focus. Tactics include refusing to purchase products or services, divestment, picketing, public campaigns, petitions, and online mobilization. They may target a company, a government, a supply chain, or a country.

Effectiveness and limitations: Success depends on factors such as substitutability of the target’s offerings, the capacity of supporters to coordinate, and public opinion. Benefits can include policy changes or reforms, but harms may fall on workers or innocent stakeholders, and efforts may fail without broad participation.

Notable examples: The Irish Land League-led boycott of 1880 coined the term; the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–1956) helped catalyze the U.S. civil rights movement; the global anti-apartheid boycotts in the 1980s drew broad international pressure.

Legal and ethical context: Peaceful boycotts are generally treated as lawful forms of political expression in many democracies. Some jurisdictions regulate or restrict certain types of boycotts, particularly when tied to national policy or anti-discrimination concerns.

See also: consumer activism, sanctions, protest, picketing, divestment.