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Acts of dissent in the global crisis of democracy: a typology of opposition, contestation and resistance

By Leonardo Puleo & Ramona Coman

ÉDITION
Palgrave macmillan

COLLECTION

Acta Politica

LIEN

Abstract

Democratic decline and paths towards autocracy have been extensively studied in recent years. Although the role of the executives in weakening democracy has been thoroughly researched, instances of resistance, contestation and opposition have given rise to theoretical ambiguity being employed interchangeably, despite referring to distinct forms of dissent in democratic, non-democratic and autocratizing regimes. Against this backdrop, this article proposes a new typology that conceptualises eight forms of dissent distinguishing between opposition, contestation and resistance. To assess its conceptual validity, we apply this typology against several recent European examples drawing on the existing literature and our own research. The aim is to illustrate how the typology can be applied to investigate power struggles between governments and various social and political actors in democratic and non-democratic regimes. Acts of dissent are defined on the basis of the space of contestability granted by the regime, as well as on the dissent’s goals and the arenas.

Mis à jour le 18 août 2025