Captivities and resistances in liberal democracies: a quick look at youth participation in the newest social movements

Abstract

The protests in June 2013 gave rise to a number of new social movements in Brazil, characterized by anti-capitalist and anti-globalization views, horizontal organization, the rejection of dialogue with state representatives through institutional channels and dynamic mobilisation through online social networks. Many of these groups refuse the traditional hierarchical structure of social movements and representation models that culminate in leaders capable of negotiating with the State but also of being co-opted by the interests of institutional power. The analysis seeks to understand the singularities of these new forms of organization of confrontation and of expression of social and political dissent. These recent collective actions have exhibited strong influences from anarchist references, offering an analytical challenge that the theoretical-methodological frameworks commonly used in studies of social movements do not support satisfactorily.