This project examines the relationship between social movements and political parties, exploring how this interaction can reinvigorate party structures and democratize political representation. Research question: What conditions enable socio-party activism and the democratization of representation? The interface between movements, parties, and elections has attracted growing attention, with scholars examining the fluidity of boundaries and the diverse consequences—both positive and negative—for parties and social movements alike. This study seeks to advance our understanding of how social movements and activists challenge party structures and political representation, drawing on a multidisciplinary theoretical framework and introducing two shifts in focus. First, rather than analyzing the interaction between specific movements and parties or examining how movements institutionalize themselves as parties (a common theme in the literature), I propose taking activists from diverse movements and parties as the unit of analysis. Second, while many studies focus on isolated moments—such as pre- and post-electoral periods or times of heightened contentious politics, for example protest cycles—this project adopts a more continuous approach. It follows activists through their interactions with parties during the electoral process and throughout their legislative terms. The project proposes a qualitative, multi-method research design based on a multiple case study strategy. Cases will be selected among legislative mandates at the three levels of the federation in which the officeholder emerges from social movements or other forms of sociopolitical activism. Key research techniques include document analysis from diverse sources to map candidate profiles, electoral strategies, and proposals aimed at democratizing representation. Semi-structured interviews with candidates, staffers, and party leaders will constitute a central source of data, complemented by content analysis to deepen the study.

Participants (Center)

Resocie/UnB: Debora Rezende de Almeida, Taianara Coelho.