Abstract

ESTANQUE, Elísio. Middle Class Rebellions? Precarious Employment and Social Movements in Portugal and Brazil (2011-2013). Revista Crítica de Ciências Sociais [online]. 2014, n.103, pp.53-80. ISSN 2182-7435.  https://doi.org/10.4000/rccs.5540.

This text centres on the demonstrations and protest movements that have emerged over the past three years, with a particular focus on Portugal and Brazil. The main argument is based on the hypothesis that they involve social dynamics and tensions that reflect a middle class initiative in which youth and precarious employment play a key role. It presents data and empirical evidence on inequality in Portugal in order to reveal the nature of the main movements as protests mobilised against the suppression of rights and the undermining of working conditions. The situation in Brazil is examined in the light of the recomposition of working class conditions, taking into account the constraints and uncertainties of the Brazilian model of development. It also analyses the social composition of the protesters, on the basis of street surveys carried out during this period.

Keywords : middle class; precarization of labour; social inequality; social movements; social protest.

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