Introduction

This introductory chapter presents the dynamics of the contestation of austerity at the heart of this book, together with their historical context. Firstly, I introduce key elements of the political-economic context – such as the shift from embedded liberalism to neoliberalism – in which the Great Recession and Eurocrisis unfolded. Secondly, I describe how the crisis developed in Europe and how and why it affected the peripheral Southern European countries. I evaluate the anti-austerity contentious responses in Southern European countries, especially Portugal and Spain. Lastly, I present the structure of the following chapters and the book as a whole.