Disappearing Social Movements: Clandestinity In The Cycle of New Left Protest in the U.S., Japan, Germany, and Italy
Authors: Gilda Zwerman, Patricia G. Steinhoff and Donatella della Porta
Abstract
Research on social movements has paid little attention to the dynamics of clandestine mobilization as an integral element of protest cycles. Studies of sixteen New Left clandestine groups in Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States demonstrate strong commonalities in the process of going underground and staying underground. Activists move from the public to the clandestine realm as a result of increased repression at the protest cycle's peak, commitment to specific ideological frames and personal ties. Identity conflicts specific to underground roles and other aspects of underground life influence the nature of clandestine violence, further affecting the protest cycle's course.
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