Aux frontières mouvantes des mouvements sociaux, ou quand les partis politiques s’en mêlent : le cas du souverainisme au Québec
The usual definition of social movement refers to activists and organizations, more or less structured in networks, which developed concerted actions in favour of a claim, more or less defined. Whatever the theoretical background considered, social movement organisations are presented as distinct from political parties. Political parties are playing in the electoral arena and are the main actors of institutional politics. In that respect, political parties and social movements are known to interact, but they are supposed to play in two distinct fields : institutional political representation for political parties and social protests for social movements. Yet, the border between institutional and extra-institutional politics is very permeable. In this article, we argue that, in certain social movement configurations, political parties could be an integral part of the social movements from which they emerge, and could even constitute central actors. Our analysis is based on the sovereignist movement in Québec and the study of its transformation through the last 40 years. We show how the Parti québécois and the Bloc québécois are at the centre of the sovereignist movement and still contribute to the definition of a movement that goes beyond their own organisations.
Parti québécois Bloc québécois