Key issues in the study of new and alternative social movements in Spain: The left, identity and globalizing processes

This article supports the view that the 2004, unexpected, electoral victory by the Spanish socialists signifies the end of a protest cycle and a change in the available structure of political opportunities. In aid of this claim, it proceeds by offering an evaluation of Spanish exceptionality, a qualification of the impact of the Francoist regime in the development of post-industrial movements and a presentation of developments in three New Social Movements during the 1980s. Finally, it suggests that the study of Spanish new and alternative social movements should move beyond the emphasis on exceptionality by focusing more on the available political opportunities and the identity of social movement actors.