From zapatistas to indignados: Changes in the geopolitics of transnational solidarities

Abstract

The article analyzes the reconfigurations of contemporary transnational solidarities, examining the activist context of Barcelona in relation to Mexican social struggles and movements. The historical process that began in 1994 with the “Zapatista solidarity cycle” is rebuilt until the emergence, after the 2008 crisis, of the “indignados solidarity cycle”. Both cycles are compared, based on an analysis of the changes in transnational solidarities. Methodologically, it was used a combination between participatory research with actions and actors, and 21 interviews carried out in Catalonia. The outcomes are discussed taking into account five variables: substrate of solidarity; composition and structure of solidarity networks; repertoires of action; formats and communication strategies; and, finally, the construction of scales of action and political articulation.