Legacies and memories in movements. Justice and democracy in Southern Europe

Summary:

The impact of legacies and memories on social movements has been paid only limited attention in what is now a sizeable literature. While there is a growing interest in memory, there is little systematic theory or comparative research on the long-lasting institutional consequences of important events — or how they are remembered by future generations.

In this book, the authors examine the concepts of historical legacy and memory, suggesting ways to apply them in analyses of the long-term effects of movements, movement participation, and movement strategies and tactics. In particular, they explore a critical juncture, rich with consequences for social movements: the transition to democracy.

Through a comparative-historical study of social movements in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece, the authors tease out the complex and varied ways different modes of transition can produce new types and uses of memories for social movements. To do so, they analyze how moments of transition create institutional change that impacts future movements and consider how past protests enhance and constrain social movements today.

Table of contents:

1. Past and present: history as resource and constraint for social movements
2. Transition times in memory
3. Institutional legacies
4. Movement legacies
5. Movement memories
6. Legacies, memories, and social movements: some comparative remarks