The Global Moment of 2011: Democracy, Social Justice and Dignity (original) (raw)
Related papers
Post-2011 Movements: Democracy, Social Justice, Dignity
Development and Change 44(3): 547–567, 2013
In this contribution, we argue that post-2010 activisms, ranging from the Arab revolts to theOccupy movement, the Indignados and anti-austerity protests in Europe, and the pro-democracy protests in Russia and Mexico, exhibit three kinds of commonalities. These are a common infrastructure of networks and meetings that facilitate rapid diffusion; a generational background shaped both by the precarity of paid work and by exposure to and participation in global information streams; and, most fundamentally, a shared articulation of demands and practices. We further argue that three interconnected concepts have been at the core of both demands and the identity of these movements:democracy, social justice and dignity. Flowing from these three shared values and practices, post-2010 activisms also share a mistrust of institutional politics and a determination not to become corrupted by power, which run deeper than in previous generations of activists and which pose an ongoing challenge to their involvement with formal politics.
La résonance des « mouvements des places »
P. l a r z i l l i è r e , B . P e t r i c e t M . W i e v i o r k a Mythe de la sécularisation o . r o y De la révolution à la mondialisation y . l e B o t Les « mouvements des places » g . P l e y e r s e t M . g l a s i u s Contested Meanings in the Eg yptian Revolution s . a . r e n n i c k Cycle révolutionnaire et histoire globale M . M i d d e l l Incertitude du temps révolutionnaire s . W a h n i c h l e d é B a t L'unité des grandes contestations contemporaines M . c a s t e l l s , F. k h o s r o k h a v a r e t a . t o u r a i n e l ' e n t r e t i e n Cuba : Images et révolution, Alfredo Guevara X . d ' a r t h u y s c h a n t i e r s Hugo Chávez P. v a s q u e z l e z a M a Soulèvements contemporains et mobilisations visuelles a . B e r t h o l'état de la question Le recensement e . F i l i P P o v a e t F. g u é r i n -P a c e Les trois démographies h . l e B r a s v a r i a Japon de la période Tokugawa et du début de l'ère Meiji h . W a t a n a B e Q u'est -ce que la précarité ? r . P i e r r e t d r o i t d e s u i t e Indigenous Research and Social Science e . c o B u r n , a . M o r e t o n -r o B i n s o n a , g . s e F a d e i e t M . s t e W a r t -h a r a W i r a 2013 02 2 éditorial Michel Wieviorka le dossier Révolutions, contestations, indignations Pénélope Larzillière, Boris Petric et Michel Wieviorka
What does democracy mean? Activist views and practices in Athens, Cairo, London and Moscow
We shed light on the discontent with and the appeal of democracy by interviewing some of the most committed critical citizens: core activists in street protests. Based on interviews in Athens, Cairo, London, and Moscow, we found that they rejected representative democracy as insufficient, and believed democracy to entail having a voice and a responsibility to participate intensively in political decision-making. Activists saw themselves as engaged in prefigurative politics by fostering democratic practices within the movement and, ultimately, in society, but also raised concerns about internal power dynamics reproducing existing inequalities and exclusions. The insistence by activists that citizens have both a right and a duty to participate should be taken more seriously by political scientists and policymakers, not just as a threat to democracy and democratization, but as an opportunity. However, contemporary social movements are not straightforward sites of prefiguration, but sites of struggle between experimental and traditional forms of organizing, between inclusive aspirations and exclusive tendencies.
The Square and Beyond: Trajectories and Implications of the Square Occupations
From 2010, the world has witnessed a wave of “square occupations”: from the anti-austerity protests in Southern Europe, to the Arab uprisings, to the global Occupy movement. Based on interviews with core activists in Athens, Cairo, London, and Moscow, our research in this chapter shows that the experience of mobilizing or camping in the squares has inspired people to become more active in their neighborhoods and communities in subsequent months and years. The square occupations introduced new ideas and opened new public debates about the economy, systems of governance and democracy, as well as the role of the state and citizens. However, as the movements keep coming up against unresponsive and increasingly repressive state structures, increasing clashes both with those state structures and between progressive and nativist populist movements are to be expected.
Resisting neoliberalism? Movements against austerity and for democracy in Cairo, Athens and London
Critical Social Policy
Drawing on interviews conducted with activists from Athens, Cairo and London in 2013, we examine activists’ understandings of, critiques of and concerns around neoliberal policies. We demonstrate that activists often imply, and sometimes explicitly formulate, a fundamental incompatibility between the current economic system and their conceptions of democracy, but also that ‘anti-neoliberal’ is a very inadequate label for describing their political positions and practices. We demonstrate how activists developed deeply interlinked critiques of both the political system and the economic policies that emanated from it. We maintain that at least as important as their discourses were their practices. We analyse how solidarity and self-help practices were perceived as political interventions, rather than acts of charity, through which activists confronted the state with its failure to provide basic services.
We shed light on the discontent with and the appeal of democracy by interviewing some of the most committed critical citizens: core activists in street protests. Based on interviews in Athens, Cairo, London, and Moscow, we found that they rejected representative democracy as insufficient, and believed democracy to entail having a voice and a responsibility to participate intensively in political decision-making. Activists saw themselves as engaged in prefigurative politics by fostering democratic practices within the movement and, ultimately, in society, but also raised concerns about internal power dynamics reproducing existing inequalities and exclusions. The insistence by activists that citizens have both a right and a duty to participate should be taken more seriously by political scientists and policymakers, not just as a threat to democracy and democratization, but as an opportunity. However, contemporary social movements are not straightforward sites of prefiguration, but sites of struggle between experimental and traditional forms of organizing, between inclusive aspirations and exclusive tendencies.
Street Politics in the Age of Austerity
Street Politics in the Age of Austerity
Recent years have seen an explosion of protest movements around the world, and academic theories are racing to catch up with them. This series aims to further our understanding of the origins, dealings, decisions, and outcomes of social movements by fostering dialogue among many traditions of thought, across European nations and across continents. All theoretical perspectives are welcome. Books in the series typically combine theory with empirical research, dealing with various types of mobilization, from neighborhood groups to revolutions. We especially welcome work that synthesizes or compares different approaches to social movements, such as cultural and structural traditions, micro-and macro-social, economic and ideal, or qualitative and quantitative. Books in the series will be published in English. One goal is to encourage nonnative speakers to introduce their work to Anglophone audiences. Another is to maximize accessibility: all books will be available in open access within a year after printed publication.
From the Indignados to Occupy: Prospects for Comparison
Street Politics in the Age of Austerity: From the Indignados to Occupy. Amsterdam University Press, 2016
The past few years have seen an unexpected resurgence of street-level protest movements around the world, from the rise of anti-austerity protests in Spain, Greece, and Israel to the global spread of the Occupy movement. This collection is designed to offer a comparative analysis of these movements, setting them in international, socioeconomic , and cross-cultural perspective in order to help us understand why movements emerge, what they do, how they spread, and how they fit into both local and worldwide historical contexts. As the most significant wave of mass protests in decades continues apace,