Are Social Movements Changing Political Landscapes in Southern Europe?

Abstract

South Europe has in recent years experienced an apparent ubiquity of protest and witnessed the rise of a wide range of social movements. The emergence of Occupy movements and the reverberations from Gezi Park, among others, have brought anti-austerity and ‘real democracy’ mobilisations at the centre of developments in the region. In some cases, such as with the ‘Indignados’ in Spain, social movements act as a catalyst for the creation of a new party, Podemos. In other cases, established parties embrace the aims and agenda of social movements, as was the case of SYRIZA in Greece. The aim of this panel is to explore how social movements emerge, evolve and dissolve in Southern Europe and to analyse their effectiveness and the ways through which they attempt to promote their agendas. Of particular importance for this panel are an exploration of the relationship between contentious politics and electoral outcomes and an assessment of the extent to which social movements are reshaping political landscapes in Southern Europe.

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