Abstract

For decades, rival theories have argued about the role and effects of the institutionalization of social movements. In this article, we present a detailed case study of a unique experience of social movement institutionalization and organization building under an authoritarian regime: the institutional reconstruction of the Chilean University Student Movement (USM) from 1983 to 1985 and its aftermath, in the midst of an intense protest cycle against Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship. Building on previous social movement studies and using a mixed-methods approach, we find that, as the USM institutionalized during the protest cycle, it became more massive and robust, while its tactics and demands became more complex and sectoral respectively, until the protest cycle declined as democracy was regained. Additionally, we conclude that these changes were also the outcome of strategic decisions by the leadership, which were, in turn, made possible by the institutionalization process. Our findings contribute to a better sociological and historical understanding of the Chilean USM and the anti-authoritarian struggle in which it was involved. Our study also underlines the dynamics of a rapid institutionalization process by a social movement under an authoritarian context.