From civil society to populism. Mapping a typology of political activism in Europe

The paper presents a typology of activism in Europe. The classification is based on the observation that social and political mobilizations often overlap, blurring the lines between social movements, non-governmental organizations, advocacy groups, and institutionalized political entities such as political parties. The typology’s dimensions are the scope of beneficiaries, the nature of the activism’s goals, the organizational background, and the basis of involvement. The identified patterns of activism are the civic, transactional, expressive, advocacy, exclusive and populist activism. This classification also facilitates the identification of trends that shape mobilization and activist participation, like moral outrage as a motivation, the decreasing role of organizations or the increasing role of institutionalized actors in mobilization. On a theoretical level, the typology addresses the hybridization of social movements and civil society, it moves beyond the normative, depoliticized, and non-profit-oriented concept of civil society, integrates previous theories and concepts of social movements, such as transactional activism, populist mobilization, and political altruism, into a unified framework. Finally, it integrates Western and Eastern European concepts, offering a broader, more inclusive approach.