Co-optation

Not to be confused with cooperation or cooperative

Co-optation or recuperation is a concept developed by the Situationists to explain why social movements often fail to deliver on their promises. It talks about how various forms of power are able to destroy threats to them by integrating the movement into power itself.

Hijacking involves flipping the roles, where social movements take cultural concepts from the power structures.

Historical Examples

• 1980s: The Kraakers were co-opted by social democrats who offered to give squats to the Kraakers as their own homes in order to prevent unrest. (Netherlands)
• 2001: The Argentinazo was co-opted by Peronist political parties into voting for them. (Argentina)

See Also

• Hijacking
• Normalisation
• Internalisation