PROTESTE COLECTIVE SI CONTESTATII POLITICE
Collective protests and political appeals

Summary/Abstract: The form of political participation which we will further discuss is the collective protest. In the first part we will attempt to analyse the dynamic and its stages, including the psychosocial mechanisms which intermediate these levels, determining the increase or the decline of the potential of protest. By synthesizing a series of studies, we will attempt to emphasize the way in which the intergroup relations structure and build the emotions, motivation and the collective identity in some certain moments of protest, urging the individuals to adhere to protest movements or to give them up. The protest actions have both an expressive and an instrumental meaning (Klandermans, 2005). Beside the intention to produce change (instrumental role), the protest represents a means of expressing positive or negative emotions, as well (expressive role). Frequently, the protest contain a ritual dimension which confers them a strong spectacular and dramatic quality (della Porta &Diani, 1999). In the second part we will present a case study by which we would like to show the modality in which the rituals and emotions reinforce the collective identity, increasing the individuals’ involvement in collective actions. By means of a psychoantropological reading, we intend to investigate the similarities between different events of protest (1989 - 2002), in terms of symbolic relations which configure the universe of mobilisation and the current expressive ritual practices, as well as the impact that they exercise on mobilisation.

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