kriisiliike

Kriisiliike is a Finnish term used primarily in sociology and political science to describe social and political movements, campaigns, or organizational constellations that arise in response to a perceived crisis and seek rapid, sweeping action. The word combines kriisi (crisis) with liike (movement). The term is descriptive rather than formal; it refers to patterns of mobilization rather than a single organization.

In scholarly usage, kriisiliike denotes phenomena where crisis frames shape politics: actors mobilize around urgent problems, employ emotive and binary rhetoric, and advocate for extraordinary measures, sometimes beyond conventional policy processes. Common characteristics include a strong emphasis on urgency, simplification of complex issues, critiques of established institutions, cross-cutting or flexible coalitions, and a preference for swift implementation of reforms. Because the concept covers diverse actors, a kriisiliike can encompass grassroots campaigns, advocacy networks, political parties, or online movements that ride the gravity of a crisis to attract support.

Interpretations vary; some scholars view kriisiliike as a productive mechanism that catalyzes timely responses, while others caution that crisis rhetoric can erode deliberative norms, marginalize minority voices, or enable power concentration. The term is largely used descriptively in Finnish-language research and discourse and does not point to a single, unified ideology or platform.

See also: crisis politics, emergency governance, social movement theory. Further reading includes Finnish sociological literature on crisis framing and mobilization.