Abstract

ZARATE ESCOBAR, Adriana. The Place of Space in Theories of Social Movements: the Analytical Proposal of Spaces of Contention. Rev. mex. cienc. polít. soc [online]. 2025, vol.70, n.255, pp.101-120.  Epub Apr 13, 2026. ISSN 0185-1918.  https://doi.org/10.22201/fcpys.2448492xe.2025.255.85935.

This article presents a theoretical review of the role that the spatial dimension has occupied in social movements theories (smts), focusing the analysis on the conceptual framework of spaces of contention. This notion emerges from the convergence between smts and political geography in the early 21st century, introduced by Tilly (2000, 2003), Sewell (2001), and Martin and Miller (2003). Through this conceptual articulation, space begins to be recognized not merely as the backdrop where political struggles unfold but also as one of their central objects. To achieve this objective, the article offers a brief exploration of the principal approaches through which smts have engaged with the spatial dimension, intending to enhance their explanatory power in analyzing the conditions that enable the emergence of social movements. Furthermore, this review introduces the concept of political contention to bridge the elements proposed by Tilly for a place-oriented analysis and the constitutive dimensions of spaces of contention.

Keywords : spaces of contention; political contention; social movements; meaning of places; production of space.

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