Abstract: Abstract Social movements are increasingly considered as relevant actors in theorizations about democracy. Recently, an empirical linkage between movements and democratization processes has also been established. On the one hand, many of the processes that cause democratization generally promote social movements and “democratization as such further encourages people to form social movements” (Tilly 2004: 131). On the other, “under some conditions and in a more limited way, social movements themselves promote democratization” (Tilly 2004: 131). When looking at the impact of movements on democracy, the evidence is however mixed. First, some social movements support democracy, but some do not. Second, their relevance in democratization processes is discussed: while a “populist” approach to democracy emphasizes participation from below, with movements as important actors in the creation of democratic public spheres, the “elitist” approach considers democratization as mainly a top‐down process.
Publication Year: 2013
Publication Date: 2013-01-14
Language: en
Type: other
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 7
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