The Transformation of Environmental Activism: An Introduction
Introduces a collection of essays devoted to addressing diverging ideas on the pattern of environmental protest in the European Union, 1988-1997. Here, discussion opens with a consideration of why environmental protest is compelling & why it has broader implications for democratic politics & for policy making. In terms of the institutionalization of environmentalism, environmental movement organizations' (EMOs') involvement in policy making is seen as important. Such institutionalization leads to official acceptance & a concomitant deescalation of contention & demobilization. However, environmental protest recurred across the EU, leading to an exploration of cross-national variation in France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, the Basque Country, Sweden, & GB. From this, the impact of EU integration on the character of the continental environmental movement is contemplated, particularly in light of the reciprocal relationship between the EC & EMOs. In closing, some attention is given to public event methodology & the data sources used to address the various questions raised in the contributions: public record of environmental protest in leading newspapers of the comparison countries. J. Zendejas