SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AS POLITICAL THEORISTS

Abstract This text suggests that social movements can be understood as formulators of ‘political theory’ according to a specific and critical definition of what the political-theoretical vocation would be. Inspired by the so-called ideational turn, and bringing together two separate discussions in the literature (namely the debates between political theory and public policy), this study analyzes the impact of the idea of ‘gender’ on two policies in the Paraguayan case. We argue that the conception of political theory as a public criticism to a systematic bias considered unfair is adequate to the understanding of social movements not only as ideas carriers, but also as ‘authors in action’ or ‘collective political theorists’.