Protest and Globalization: Media, Symbols and Audience in the Drama of Democratization

The complex processes of democratization involve interactions between global and local actors. Using the metaphor of the drama of democratization the article considers one aspect of this interaction. The article analyzes the effect of interactions between the international dimension of democratization and protest movements. The account focuses on events at Kwangju during May 1980 and Beijing from April until June 1989. The case studies show that interactions between the international dimension of democratization and democratic protest movements can serve a democratizing function. This function is both contingent and transitory, and is played out within sections of the international audience.