Trajectories of outsiderness: a resource model of political participation in anti-establishment movements

Résumé :

Recent decades have witnessed the rise of anti-establishment movements, often criticizing the power elite's inability or reluctance to represent ordinary citizens. This article explores the participation dynamics within such movements, focusing on the concept of outsiderness. Drawing from the resource model of political participation, we develop a multidimensional conceptualization of outsiderness, focusing on socio-economic resources, political experience, anti-establishment attitudes and preferred modes of political participation, exemplified through a comparative analysis of the trajectory of activists within the Five-Star Movement (M5S) in Italy and the Yellow Vests (YV) in France. By examining the articulation of these four dimensions, the research identifies four activist types in anti-establishment movements: conventional, marginal insiders, self-trained, and first-timers. Through individual trajectories, the article offers a nuanced understanding of the different motives for joining anti-establishment movements and the diversity of profiles that coexist in these movements.