This article analyzes the process of social inequalities in the recent historical capitalism, highlighting its intensification and how it impacts the means of struggle used by social movements. First, we present the theoretical and methodological debate on inequality, the logic of expulsions, the new social risks, and their consequences for contemporary democracy. Then, we evaluate how social movements have fought against inequality and the stripping of rights by new forms of articulation, manifestation and formation of anti-systemic movements. Based on the agency-structure debate, we show how the local and the global are intertwined in the dynamics of inequality and the struggle of different social movements. Finally, we point out the main challenges for movements to recover their capacity to promote social emancipation.
Historical capitalism; Inequality; Social movements; Neoliberalism; Social justice