Changing Repertoires and Partisan Ambivalence in the New Brazilian Protests

• In Event: 463 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 15. Political Parties and Social Movement Mobilization

Abstract

This article analyzes the recent wave of political protests in Brazil, beginning in June 2013. We make three arguments. First we argue that this was not a single movement, but a cycle of protest, consisting of many different actors, issues, and forms of demonstration. Second, we argue that protesters built what we call "hybrid performances,” in which elements of the traditional socialist repertoire were subordinated to autonomist and patriotic repertoires. These performances in turn composed two contending strategic action fields, to the left and the right of the Workers’ Party government. Third, we argue that the protests presented a strong rejection of political parties coming from both the autonomist and patriotic fields, although with different political expressions. This point raises broader questions about the relationship between social movements, political parties, and institutional politics in the recent wave of global protest

Authors

• Ann Mische, University of Notre Dame

• Angela Alonso, University of Sao Paulo