Movement Parties and Backlash Politics: A Relational Approach to Study Movement Parties' Impact on Contemporary Democracies

The workshop "Movement Parties and Backlash Politics: A Relational Approach to Study Movement Parties' Impact on Contemporary Democracies" will take place on October 14 and 15 at the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB). It will examine how movement parties in Southern Europe and Latin America have become influential political actors, especially in times of crisis.

The workshop will explore how these parties, born out of grassroots activism, navigate the challenges of institutional politics while maintaining ties to their social bases. The central expectation is that movement parties are different from other new political forces because of their close ties to social movements, which both support them and expect them to represent grassroots interests. As these parties move into institutional politics, they often find it difficult to maintain this relationship, as the demands of professionalization and internal governance can create distance from their original base. While they promise to deepen democracy through participatory mechanisms and broaden political representation, they often struggle to deliver on these promises amid the political compromises required to govern. Moreover, the political agendas they inherit must expand beyond the issues that originally mobilized their supporters, sometimes leading to discontent among their base.

These vulnerabilities are particularly pronounced in the context of backlash politics, where opponents can exploit any perceived failures. Rapid political ascent, coupled with limited experience in government, makes it difficult to formulate coherent policies, which can dampen the enthusiasm that initially fueled their rise. As a result, movement parties can face a paradox of success: the very factors that propel them forward can also undermine their effectiveness and connection to their roots, making it difficult to reconcile institutional politics with their grassroots origins.

The workshop will explore how movement parties reshape political institutions, the conditions under which they form alliances with mainstream parties, and the mechanisms through which they influence political participation and policy.

Drawing on comparative examples from Europe and Latin America, it aims to link discussions of movement parties to broader debates on democratic regression and backlash politics.

Scholars from Europe, Latin America, and the United States will offer interdisciplinary and transnational perspectives on these pressing issues. The workshop is co-organized by Sofía Donoso (Universidad de Chile) and Swen Hutter and supported by the Thyssen Foundation.