Defiant Civil Society.The Role of Social Movements and Contentious Politics in the Democratization of Montenegro
Defiant Civil Society.The Role of Social Movements and Contentious Politics in the Democratization of Montenegro

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the ways in which social movements and contentious politics have contributed to challenging the status quo and promoting democracy “from below”in con-temporary Montenegro. The analysis is divided into four sections, each dedicated to spe-cific periods of Montenegro’s postsocialist transition: the authoritarian phase (1990 – 1997), the quasi-democratization phase (1998 – 2006), the backsliding phase (2007 – 2020), and the democratization phase (2021 – present). All these stages have been characterized by turbulent socio-political transformation and an equally disruptive socio-economic restruc-turing, profoundly influencing the citizens’ engagement in public life. Accordingly, the article focuses on the defiance exhibited by civil society actors during each phase and their role in reshaping power dynamics in Montenegro.

• Details
• Contents