Boycott as a Tool for Change

The concept of boycotting generally refers to the withdrawal from commercial or social relations with a country, organisation or purpose, generally for political or activism purposes. The term was coined in the 1880s, when a British estate manager by the name of Charles Boycott refused to lower the rents of tenant farmers on his land. The farmers were unable to meet his demands due to a particularly bad crop that year but instead of allowing themselves to be evicted, they banded together and completely ostracised Captain Boycott. The term “boycott” was thus invented and came to describe any type of…