Document Type
Article
Language
eng
Publication Date
9-2020
Publisher
Latin American Studies Association
Source Publication
Latin American Research Review
Source ISSN
0023-8791
Abstract
This article examines how the organizational structure of a social movement affects the tactics it is likely to adopt. Hybrid movements gained prominence at the start of the twenty-first century. Like movements of the past, they protested on the streets; but unlike the movements of the past, they also acted like interest groups by lobbying government over policy. Considered through the lens of traditional scholarship, this phenomenon presents a puzzle. Loose networks of activists are thought to be good at contentious politics but incapable of negotiating with government. By contrast, federations of interest groups are seen to be good at insider lobbying but subject to co-optation. This article theorizes the middle ground between social movements and interest groups by proposing a third structure for social movement organizing, the federative coalition, which incorporates some of the advantages of hierarchy while avoiding some of its pitfalls. The article illustrates this argument through a case study of Brazil’s AIDS movement.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Rich, Jessica, "Organizing Twenty-First-Century Activism: From Structure to Strategy in Latin American Social Movements" (2020). Political Science Faculty Research and Publications. 87.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/polisci_fac/87
Comments
Published version. Latin American Research Review, Vol. 55, No. 3 (September 2020): 430-444. DOI. © 2020 Latin American Studies Association. Used with permission.