In the vibration of the event: Eventful temporality and political activism

Abstract

Events pierce activist biographies and re-signify the memories of social mobilization. However, despite its relevance in the discourses of social movements, the analysis of events is often addressed from abstract approaches that prevent us from appreciating the complexity and effervescence of the practices linked to them. This article explores the concept of “event” in various dimensions of the praxis of political activism. Our aim is to show how the event can be noted as a unit of meaning and action characteristic of contemporary forms of activist doing and being. The research is based on ethnographies developed by the authors in various political and artistic cores of Madrid and Extremadura (Spain) over the last 20 years. Our results show that the event is an essential element of mediation in the forms of participation that provide the infrastructure of being an activist and legitimize its recognition. Moreover, that event defines temporalities that form subjectivities that are themselves eventual. Finally, we point out some paradoxes of political participation and representation derived from understanding the “popular will” in a presentist way, that is, as a statement in the here and now of the event.