The impact of collaborative collective actions in the transformation of contemporary societies: May 23-24, 2019, Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, Bilbao, Spain

Abstract

For decades, the concept of collective action has been widely used in the social sciences, giving birth to the prolific areas of protest, contentious politics and social movements studies. A myriad of theoretical approaches and empirical studies have subsequently sprung up within these confines, reaching almost every single corner of our academic world and intertwining with the practice of movements themselves. But however fertile this area has been, little research has so far delved into a crucial aspect of collective action: its collaborative dimension.

The concept of sharing society, guiding both our research and this international conference, is inspired by the conceptualization of collaborative collective action, defined as a “the group of practices and formal and informal interactions that take place among individuals, collectives or associations that share a sense of belonging or common interests, that collaborate and are in conflict with others, and that have the intent of producing or precluding social change through the mobilization of certain social sectors” (Tejerina 2016).

Our conference sets out to analyze the characteristics, trajectory and impact of collaborative collective actions in a context of erosion of the welfare state. It also seeks to present and discuss the most recent innovations, trends and concerns, as well as practical challenges encountered and solutions adopted in the fields of collaborative collective actions. The conference addresses the following questions: How, when and where does collaborative collective action occur? Which are the characteristics of contemporary collaborative collective action? What are the practical, symbolic and legal effects of collaborative collective actions for the forging and recovery of social bonds? And, finally, what forms of interaction emerge from these types of actions?