Non-institutional politics and social movements as its actors

The subject of the study is non-institutional politics and its role in modern socio-political processes in the context of social movements. The thesis is substantiated that protest is a common element of the reasons for the growing importance of non-institutional politics, which brings together and even includes non-institutional politics in traditional politics. It represents the central analytical category around which the theoretical justification of the above position is based – currently, non-institutional politics has become part of the so-called traditional politics. The arguments in favor of this thesis can be divided into two main directions: the first, systemic, concerns the transformations that have influenced institutionalized politics in democratic systems over the past half century, the second, participatory, refers to the multifaceted development of social movements. Both involve a wide range of factors that interact in the development of non-institutional politics and, consequently, increase its rank and legitimacy. The tasks set required an appropriate theoretical and methodological basis for the study, which was compiled by the political science concepts of civil society, the theory of democracy (polyarchy). The paradigms of social movement research were taken into account: the paradigm of collective behavior, the theory of collective action (resource mobilization), the paradigm of new social movements. A systematic approach and methods of comparative historical analysis of social and political phenomena were used. The main subject of protest, challenge and formation of non-institutionalized politics are new social movements. Social movements are represented by an informal network of organizations and people united by collective identity, common values and aimed at expanding the boundaries of existing non-institutional politics and transforming socio-political design in the form of protest activities. The activity of these movements indicates that in modern post-industrial society, power is becoming fragmented. Classical political models based on class struggle within the framework of traditional political institutions are gradually being replaced by new forms of governance and communication, including non-institutionalized politics, the politics of democratic pluralism. New social movements are opposed to the traditional methods of decision-making by the bureaucracy, are organized on decentralized, networked principles and act as a factor in an increasingly deep dispersion of power in modern society.