Social Movements and Institutional Change
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INTERNATIONAL MAX PLANCK RESEARCH SCHOOL on the Social and Political Constitution of the Economy Köln, Germany Ana Carolina Alfinito Vieira Social Movements and Institutional Change The Pro-Indigenous Struggle for Land Tenure and Citizenship in Brazil (1968–2016) Studies on the Social and Political Constitution of the Economy Ana Carolina Alfinito Vieira Social Movements and Institutional Change The Pro-Indigenous Struggle for Land Tenure and Citizenship in Brazil (1968–2016) © Ana Carolina Alfinito Vieira 2017 Published by IMPRS-SPCE International Max Planck Research School on the Social and Political Constitution of the Economy, Cologne http://imprs.mpifg.de ISBN: 978-3-946416-17-3 DOI: 10.17617/2.2385250 Studies on the Social and Political Constitution of the Economy are published online on http://imprs.mpifg.de. Go to Dissertation Series. Studies on the Social and Political Constitution of the Economy Abstract Based on the analysis of a multi-level and inter-sectoral trajectory of pro-indige- nous mobilization in Brazil, this dissertation examines how social movements contribute to gradual and long-term processes of institutional change. To do so, it draws on social movement theory, pragmatist institutional theory and cultural sociology to develop a dynamic model of mobilization and institutional change that foregrounds the organization of society within multiple and partially over- lapping institutional sectors and emphasizes the dynamic and recursive interac- tions between movements and ever-shifting institutional contexts of action. This model is deployed in the analysis of a long-term trajectory of mobilization over indigenous land tenure and citizenship rights in Brazil from 1968 until 2016. The trajectory is composed of seven episodes, each of which is characterized by a constellation of repertoires, sites and targets of contention. I analyze the institu- tional, organizational and cultural outcomes of these episodes, examining how they add up to landmark moments in which institutional contexts of mobilization change significantly and mark a transition between periods of contention. By examining and comparing across these episodes, I identify two social mecha- nisms, understood as recurrent social processes linking initial conditions to out- comes, which were central for the movement’s ability to influence processes of institutional change: (a) the formation of inter-sectoral networks of contention and (b) institutional framing. I use the term inter-sectoral network formation to refer to processes through which ties of cooperation and mobilization are con- structed and activated by actors situated across institutional sectors in the midst of contention. By incorporating different institutional repertoires into the move- ment and opening up multiple channels of claim-making, this mechanism in- creases the responsive capacity and the resilience of movements vis-à-vis shifting contexts of action. I use the term institutional framing to refer to the collective and public processes through which activists attribute and dispute the meaning of society-wide institutional elements that are relevant for their goals. By framing institutions, many of which ensue from previous episodes of contention, move- ments contribute to institutional innovation and produce a sense of continuity between different episodes, periods and sectors of mobilization. About the author Ana Carolina Alfinito Vieira was a doctoral researcher at the IMPRS-SPCE from 2012 until 2016. She is currently an associate researcher at the Brazilian Centre for Analysis and Planning (Cebrap) in São Paulo. Studies on the Social and Political Constitution of the Economy Social Movements and Institutional Change: The Pro-Indigenous Struggle for Land Tenure and Citizenship in Brazil (1968-2016) Inauguraldissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades der Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität zu Köln 2016 vorgelegt von Ana Carolina Alfinito Vieira aus São Paulo, Brasilien Referent: Prof. Dr. Sigrid Quack Korreferent: Prof. Dr. André Kaiser Tag der Promotion: 2 Abstract Based on the analysis of a multi-level and inter-sectoral trajectory of pro-indigenous mobilization in Brazil, the present study sets out to examine how social movements contribute to gradual and long- term processes of institutional change. To do so, it draws on social movement theory, pragmatist institutional theory and cultural sociology and develops a dynamic model of mobilization and institutional change that foregrounds the organization of society within multiple and partially overlapping institutional sectors and emphasizes the dynamic and recursive interactions between movements and ever-shifting institutional contexts of action. This model is deployed in the analysis of a long-term trajectory of mobilization over indigenous land tenure and citizenship rights in Brazil from 1968 until 2016. The trajectory is composed of seven episodes, each of which is characterized by a constellation of repertoires, sites and targets of contention. I analyse the institutional, organizational and cultural outcomes of these episodes, examining how they add up to landmark moments in which institutional contexts of mobilization change significantly and mark a transition between periods of contention. By examining and comparing across these episodes, I identify two social mechanisms, here understood as recurrent social processes linking initial conditions to outcomes, which were central for the movement’s ability to influence processes of institutional change: (a) the formation of inter- sectoral networks of contention and (b) institutional framing. I use the term inter-sectoral network formation to refer to processes through which ties of cooperation and mobilization are constructed and activated by actors situated across institutional sectors in the midst of contention. By incorporating different institutional repertoires into the movement and opening up multiple channels of claim-making, this mechanism increases the responsive capacity and the resilience of movements vis-à-vis shifting contexts of action. By institutional framing, I refer to the collective and public processes through which activists attribute and dispute the meaning of society-wide institutional elements that are relevant for their goals. By framing institutions, many of which ensue from previous episodes of contention, movements contribute to institutional innovation and produce a sense of continuity between different episodes, periods and sectors of mobilization. 3 Table of Contents Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................. 8 Abbreviations and acronyms ............................................................................................ 12 List of tables, maps, plots, figures and timelines ............................................................... 14 Chapter 1. Introduction .................................................................................................... 17 1.1 Mobilization and social transformation .......................................................................... 22 1.2 Long-term and inter-sectoral: Pro-indigenous mobilization in Brazil ............................... 28 1.3 Studying land tenure and identity .................................................................................. 31 1.4 Research methods and data sources ............................................................................... 34 1.5 Implications of this study ............................................................................................... 38 1.6 Looking ahead ................................................................................................................ 41 PART 1: SETTING THE STAGE ............................................................................................. 44 Chapter 2. Towards a dynamic model of mobilization and institutional change ................ 45 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 45 2.2 Multi-sited contention: Institutional sectors and inter-sectoral regimes ......................... 46 Existing approaches to the sites of contention .............................................................................. 47 Society as a multi-sectoral and multi-level landscape ................................................................... 51 Mobilization against inter-sectoral institutional arrangements ................................................... 55 2.3 Claim-making and institutional engagement across institutional sectors ........................ 58 Institutional repertoires and sectoral embeddedness ................................................................... 58 Inter-sectoral movement networks ............................................................................................... 62 2.4 Analyzing the outcomes of social mobilization ............................................................... 66 Existing approaches to social movement outcomes ...................................................................... 67 A dynamic model of mobilization and social change .................................................................... 71 Outcomes and landmark moments ............................................................................................... 77 Chapter 3. Inter-sectoral convergence and Terena resistance in the situation