Protest in the Age of Austerity: Democracy, Legitimacy and Mobilisation in Southern Europe

Abstract

Since 2010 the aftershocks of the financial crisis have generated a growing cycle of protest in several Southern European democracies. With governments forcing through unprecedented reductions in public expenditure, tax rises and sweeping changes to established social and political institutions, Southern European politics has gained a contentious edge not seen in the region since democratization in the 1970s. However, the dynamics of the political response of Southern European societies reveal important variations across fields of contention, relationships between institutional and non-intuitional actors, and in patterns of mobilization. How are these differences connected to domestic political institutions, cultures and traditions, and what are these likely to mean for the development of the current political crisis? Despite these differences, emerging protest movements and challenger political parties in Southern Europe are also embedded in transnational networks through which activists share identities, strategies and support and coordinate actions. Do such ties indicate a scaling-up of social movement activity, and how do they interact with cross-national actors and institutions? This panel will invite papers addressing these themes, including (but not limited) to the following: a) What are the emerging frames, issues and identities of mobilization in Southern European Societies? b) How are these related to traditional political cultures, institutions and traditions? c) How are experiments in direct democratic practice related to and contributing to the broader political process? d) To what extent are protest movements mobilizing new constituencies and ‘first time’ activists? e) How are protest movements and other political actors using new and traditional media as tools of mobilization? f) How are protest organizations in particular countries embedded in transnational networks and does this imply a scaling-up of protest to the European level. g) Can we observe effects of participation in extra-parliamentary politics on patterns of institutional political participation and political attitudes?

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