Herbert Reiter

Precarious Struggles in Italy

Although rare, protest over unemployment nevertheless does exist. Indeed, protest is the only resource through which the unemployed themselves occasionally enter the public sphere. For it to occur, however, as we show in the following sections, the precariat needs to accomplish the following: (1) develop a group identity that overcomes the stigma associated with precarity; (2) radicalize their repertoire of action in what we call here ‘dramatization’ of protest, to make their claims visible and keep pressuring political elites; (3) establish organizations and networks promoting their claims and placing their struggles within a larger framework of social change; and (4) seize opportunities provided by political elites and institutions.