Continuities and Discontinuities in Recent Social Mobilizations. From New Social Movements to the Alter-Global Mobilizations and the 15M

Our paper seeks to analyze the novel and long-term characteristics of the recent mobilizations in Spain. Our main objective is to identify the defining traits of collective actions currently taking place as a consequence of the multi-dimensional crisis unleashed in 2010. We will focus on three main analytical axes—agents, identity and space, trying to establish their historicity, that is, their presence or absence in both former social movements and current mobilizations.
The spatial dimension refers to the local versus global and co-presential versus virtual characteristics of collective action. This analysis implies a focus on the mobilizations’ demands, the repertoire of actions, and the display of emotions. Emotions are also intertwined with the process of collective identity construction, and the conflictual relationship with agents and institutions identified as responsible for the crisis. Finally, we will give special attention to activists and social movement organizations, decision-making processes and adaptability and resilience of organizational forms.
Our data will come from newspaper articles, the Internet, interviews to participants, and graphic material collected during ethnographic observations in camps (acampadas) and assemblies. Data was gathered following the principles of theoretical sampling. Our analysis of these data is in exploratory phase, and is constructed in order to develop a preliminary analytical understanding of the phenomenon.

Keywords: social movements, 15M, identity, space