The impacts of COVID-19 on youth activisms in Spain (2020–2022)

Abstract

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic can be considered a ‘period of emergency critical juncture’ that affected social movements and collective action. Based on this premise, this article analyses its impact on youth activisms in Spain, investigating its structural or circumstantial nature. The research used in-depth interviews and focused on three types of youth activisms - feminisms, environmentalisms, and socio-community - chosen for either their mobilising force prior to the pandemic or their relevance during it. In order to assess the temporary or permanent effects of the pandemic on these activisms, three dimensions were studied: organisational forms, mobilisation issues and repertoires of action. The results allow us to identify short-term impacts, such as the interruption of the rhythm of activism, the prominence of the virtual world, and the creation of pragmatic alliances of local collective action, while at the same time allowing us to glimpse those that may have a more structural character such as the inclusion of mental health as an issue and the normalisation of repression and criminalisation of activism in securitarian contexts.