Social Movement Networks and Intersectional Activisms: Bilbao’s Festive Social Movement in Relational and Historical-Comparative Perspective

My presentation will analyze the historical evolution of a rare kind of ‘intersectional activism’ combining cultural, political, and ‘right to the city’ claims intermingled with notions of carnival, humor, and irony. This is, the activism developed by Bilbao’s ‘multi-actor’ ‘festive movement,’ formed by “purely recreational” and more politicized comparsas [festive troupes] tied to cultural cooperatives, neighborhood associations, “new” social movement organizations (e.g. feminist, environmentalist, squatter, anti-speciecist), and even political parties within the Basque separatist and non-nationalist Far Left.

Involved in the annual organization of the city’s massive 9-day popular festivity since 1978, for almost 5 decades Bilbao’s festive movement has managed to preserve a unique large-scale model of ‘participatory culture’ based on social movement-City Council festive co-management and co-creation. In doing so, it has also functioned as a true ‘social infrastructure,’ bridging deep socio-political cleavages in key historical junctures. One of such coordinates was the process initiated in 2009 by the Abertzale [Patriotic] Left to put a definitive end to ETA’s violent activity, and to transition into a “purely democratic” path—context in which much of my ethnographic fieldwork was conducted.

Based on a historical-comparative and relational perspective, my presentation will attempt to address the following questions: How have changing political and 'urban opportunity structures' affected Bilbao’s festive activism? And, how is it related to the changing structure and dynamics of Bilbao’s 'festive collective action field,' composed by comparsas, their ‘mother social movement organizations,’ and also all political parties represented in Bilbao City Council?

Data come from a multi-methods approach combining the analysis of primary and secondary data covering the last 5 decades, a three-year political ethnography conducted in Bilbao between 2009 and 2012, and follow-up research carried out in 2023-2024. Information collected through these multiple methods is analyzed following the principles of both network and qualitative content analysis.