Social movements as arenas of generational coexistence: an analytical proposal

Abstract

The article explores the analytical potential of generation in social movement studies and proposes understanding movements as arenas of generational coexistence. Drawing on Mannheim and collective action theories, it examines how coexisting political generations receive and rework frames, repertoires and legacies. Based on qualitative research on struggles for the right to health in Brazil, it identifies three generational configurations and shows that continuities, conflicts and reinterpretations reveal a historical-temporal dimension of agency and help explain change without necessarily breaking with inherited legacies.