Conclusion: Popular Culture, Folk Traditions and Protest—A Research Agenda

Abstract

This conclusion identifies five main points that emerge from the empirical chapters. First, there are multidirectional relationships between the festival, rebellion and folk culture. Second, the case studies reveal a wide spectrum of inherited cultural repertoires, which lead to the use of unconventional repertoires within modern-day politics. Third, social actors turn to these protest repertoires because they believe them to be effective: an appeal to the cultural codes of ‘the people’ gives legitimacy to the leaders of any attempt at mobilization. Fourth, over and above the construction of legitimacy, campaigners operate a selective and tactical use of the repertoires inherited from folk culture. The fifth and final point is that it is far from the case that the use of repertoires inherited from folk culture has been monopolized by one particular political bloc.