The Forgotten Class Factor?

This paper draws from the literature on social movements and utilises collective memory to examine interactions between structure and agency in transformative protest events. Intra-movement competition between different groups to elaborate and diversify the movement’s ideology are used as a proxy for agency. The empirical analysis builds on Taiwan’s 2014 Sunflower Movement, examining it on its tenth anniversary. While the movement opposed a proposed free-trade agreement with China and was often portrayed as a cohesive student movement, it had significant internal divisions. Special focus is placed on the Low Life Liberation Area, which prioritised class issues and opposition to neoliberal policies over the mainstream focus on procedural justice and anti-China sentiments. Through the analysis of various qualitative data sources and participant observation of the movement’s commemorative events, the paper shows that, despite high levels of agency from competing factions, the outcomes of intra-movement competition and the movement’s transformative force were ultimately shaped and channelled through deep-seated structural divisions centred around Cross-Strait relations.