Re-evaluating Scottish social movement activism during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

This article re-evaluates how the COVID-19 pandemic shaped contentious activism in Scotland, revealing contrasting approaches to protest and organising. While much of the social movement literature highlights resilience, adaptation, and even revitalisation during the pandemic, this study takes a different perspective by focusing on the reflective insights of activists that emerged as initial optimism faded and the limitations of contentious-oriented movements became more apparent. Rather than viewing the pandemic as a moment of transformation, we consider how activists grappled with the challenges of sustaining mobilisation in a shifting political landscape. Methodologically, we draw on interviews with activists to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic amplified existing inequalities in movement capacity, with collective justice activists better positioned to institutionalise their claims due to their temporary integration into policy processes, even if the longer-term effect of these has more recently been cast into doubt. By contrast, libertarian-inclined activists, particularly those focused on autonomy and opposition to state control, struggled to gain traction. This disparity raises critical questions about the uneven ability of social movements to contest state measures and influence policy during moments of crisis.

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DOI

https://doi.org/10.3366/scot.2025.0557

Repository URI

https://researchonline.gcu.ac.uk/en/publications/ad972707-1c31-47b1-8709-c3de37b2b8c2