ABSTRACT
Similarly to other phenomena that are understood as global, the wave of mass protests in 2011 in many advanced capitalist societies has exhibited a combination of common supra-national features and idiosyncratic local traits (Pabst, 2011). The protest movements that emerged in Europe and North America have a number of characteristics in common: the initiators and leaders of these movements are educated young people with middle class backgrounds, protesting against their own reduced economic opportunities and the widening inequality between the wealthy and the rest of the population; their protests express deep alienation from institutionalised politics; they occupy public space in an attempt to imbue it with new meaning and instill alternative forms of political action; they hold mass demonstrations attended by broader audiences; and they make diffuse demands on the state for more or less radical changes to the economy and socioeconomic policies – demands that are fundamentally redistributive (Tejerina & Perugorria, 2012). The movements in different countries also share specific practices of protest and collective action: the wide use of theatrical performativity; a reliance on digital technologies and new media to
Ze v Rosenheka* and Michael Shalevb
Similarly to other phenomena that are understo d as global, the wave of mass protests in 201 in many advanced capitalist societies has exhibited a combination of com on supra-national features and idiosyncratic local traits (Pabst, 201 ). The protest movements that emerged in Europe and North America have a number of characteristics in com on: the init ators and leaders of these movements are ducated young people with mid le class backgrounds, protesting against their own reduced economic op ortunit es and the widening inequality betwe n the wealthy and the rest of the population; their protests expres de p alienation from insti utionalised polit cs; they oc upy public space in an attempt o imbue it with new meaning and instill alternative forms of polit cal action; they hold mass demonstrations attended by broader audiences; and they make diffuse demands on the state for more or less radical changes to the conomy and socioeconomic policies – demands that are fundamentally redistributive (Tejerina & Perugorria, 2012). The movements in different countries also share specific practices of protest and collective action: the wide use of theatrical performativity; a reliance on digital technologies and new media to
spread their message and mobilise activists; a network logic of action and organisation; and an effort to implement direct democracy and non-hierarchical coordination (Bennett & Segerberg, 2012; Castells, 2012; Mason, 2012).
