THE LIMITS OF DEMOCRACY: STREET PROTESTS’ LEGITIMACY IN PARTICIPATORY BRAZIL

The main goal of this article is to analyze the legitimacy of disruptive forms of collective action in a context of increasing opportunities of institutionalized participation in Brazil. If on one hand the opening of new participatory spaces can be conceived as a relevant achievement of popular movements, on the other hand this process has contributed to delegitimize protest actions that have been traditionally mobilized by certain social actors. The methodology of the research involved a theoretical revision of themes and concepts pertinent to the discussion and the analysis of newspaper material. Besides pointing to the growing tension between the opening of new participatory institutions inside the State and street protests’ legitimacy, we also propose an expanded notion of political participation.