Meaning-Makers: The Contested Concepts of Anti-Corruption Protesters

This work is founded on an understanding of corruption as a derivative concept, which is dependent upon commitments to other concepts – usually conceptual opposites – to derive its meaning (Philp 1997; Williams 1999; Hellman 2012; Dawood 2014; Sparling 2018; Thompson 2018; Knights 2021; Picci 2024). It explores the construction of meaning in anti-corruption protest movements, as these are sites where citizens both oppose ostensible forms of corruption and make demands for systems free of corruption; thereby providing a dual lens through which to view the construction of meaning. It suggests that by examining the texts and cultural artifacts produced by anti-corruption activists and engaging in political theory with an “ethnographic sensibility” (Herzog and Zacka 2019, 764), it is possible to identify patterns of emerging meaning ascribed to the concepts of corruption and anti-corruption and uncover underlying conceptual connections and relationships. Anti-corruption is a key motivator of protest: between 2006 and 2020 opposition to corruption inspired 20% of all protests globally (Ortiz et al. 2022, 24). However, these protest movements have rarely been analysed in terms of how they reflect “different anti-corruption paradigms” or as sites in which anti-corruption frames emerge and are made visible (Della Porta 2018, 663). While anti-corruption protests occur in all regions and are not limited to a particular regime type or administration, the sparks that ignite them vary significantly depending upon context. The Global Protest Tracker identified 17 protests in 2025 that were primarily motivated by an opposition to “corruption”, but in each case this “corruption” ostensibly took very different forms. The “No Kings” protests in the US opposed Trump’s authoritarianism, the “Gambians against Looted Assets” demonstrations demanded accountability for corruption scandals, and the “Gen Z” protests in Nepal and Morocco expressed anger over poor governance, economic hardship, suppression of free speech and inappropriate government spending. This paper takes the anti-corruption protests of 2025 as sites of contestation in which citizens construct and contest the meaning of corruption, anti-corruption and the nature of the uncorrupted state. By analysing the texts and cultural artifacts produced by activists and protesters that express their opposition, anger and demands for change, the research aims to provide a unique lens through which to observe the construction of and shifts in meaning ascribed to corruption across time and space. It posits that even across diverse settings, there are family resemblances and insights available that can enrich our conceptual understanding of contemporary corruption. As the imperative to respond to democratic backsliding, state capture and the crisis of liberal democracy becomes increasingly urgent, knowledge of the emerging forms and perceptions of corruption can both advance intellectual endeavours and provide tools for responding to corruption’s most pernicious harms.