Fields of contention as a prism: toward a nuanced role of parties and civil society actors in protest interactions

Abstract

ABSTRACT By adopting a theory-oriented case study approach, this article complements recent debates in political sociology on movement-party interactions, parties and protest, and ‘movement parties’ by proposing a relational perspective to the study of fields of contention. We explore how organizational type, as a political party or civil society organization, and political orientation on the left-to-right spectrum affect actors’ roles in local fields of contention. We draw from network analyses conducted on an original qualitatively coded data set of co- and countermobilization. Our analysis corroborates findings that political parties are indeed highly engaged in protest activity. Yet, our relational approach reveals a more nuanced differentiation of the role of (movement) parties and the interaction of political orientation and actor type.