ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the question of the significance and activities of social movements within the wider dynamics of civil society in post-communist societies. It adds to the small but growing body of literature showing that social movements in post-communist countries can find other ways of influencing society than through mass mobilization and that they can try to combine occasional mass mobilization with other types of contentious action. The book also increases our knowledge about post-communist social movements by analyzing examples of social movements that have not been the focus of the discussions about social movements and non-governmental organization (NGO-ization). It explores from the xenophobic riots that started in Russia in response to the killing of an ethnically 'white' Russian in 2011. It also contributes to the field of post-communist environmental movements with a focus on Bosnia-Herzegovina.
