Gender and agency in the political learning of contentious activism. Reviewing activist models of young people in the new political cycle in the Basque Country

Abstract

The reproduction of gender order in young people’s learning of counter-hegemonic contentious activism may seem a contradiction in a political field seeking to transform the social order and help empower its activists. A qualitative study carried out on young activists in the sphere of leftist Basque nationalism in the aftermath of ETA’s armed activity revealed that the repertoires and forms of action of contentious politics foment activist ideals associated with hegemonic masculinity and mean that the women participating tend to occupy a subordinate position. In the tension between the political forces keen on change and those favouring continuance, we studied the factors which could help women activists build dissident collective agencies, particularly, feminist agencies.