In this article we analyze the Radical left libertarian movement (RLLM) in Sweden and the development of its collective identity between the mid-1990s and the mid-2010. Overall, our study shows that the RLLM in Sweden has developed from regarding itself as a milieu of radical direct-action groups in the 1990s, to seeing itself as part of a broadly defined working class in the 2000s, and finally to self-identify as an actor rooted in local neighborhoods and the everyday activities of common people in the 2010s. Parallel to these identity transformations, the movement has partially changed its protest targets and choices of tactics, the latter having become less disruptive.
The results illustrate how the RLLM’s dual ideological heritage, stemming from the early labor movement and the “new social movements” of the 1960s, has been both a resource for frame transformations and a cause for internal tensions. At times, disputes over framing and strategies have led to internal divisions, and some parts of the movement still cherish previously dominant self-conceptions and strategies. Our analysis also shows that in order to better understand the dynamics of radical movements’ identity transformations, it is important to highlight continuity and change, or both the fluid and static aspects of a movement’s collective identity.