A New Era for Collective Movements: The Subjectivization of Collective Action

Based on the results of research regarding new forms of collective action , the chapter analyzes three key features which characterize the evolution of the Alterglobal, 15M, and Occupy movements. The first regards the process of subjective self-affirmation which individuals pursue in order to assert individual freedom from the dominant global forces which impact their lives. A second feature consists of the ability and interest shown by members of contemporary collective movements to address social fragmentation through the construction of new intersubjective relationships, and thus a demonstration of active participation in the movements’ experiments. The third feature demonstrates that the conflicts between dominant powers and these collective movements are not integrated within institutions. The political system, with its diverse set of interests and its policy-driven issues, is thus not the target of these collective initiatives’ demands. These movements, instead, lay claim to a re-democratization of political institutions