Abstract
Bolstered by studies in political sociology and dialoguing with theories on associativism and its relation to democracy, the present work aims at testing the efforts for the typification of the associative field, taking into account the adoption of political-institutional repertoires. Mobilizing the concept of associativism, along with the notion of a democratic ecology of associations, the paper aims at systematizing the results of a study on associations in the city of Florianópolis that breaks down their practices into two repertoires which, as yet, have been only minimally explored by studies on the social phenomenon of association. These are: the repertoire of action directed to the mobilization of rights, with emphasis on public civil actions (lawsuits), and the establishment of representation within city public-policy councils. In general, our data pointed to the important presence of associativism in the use of these repertoires, indicating that although the vast majority occupy seats in different city councils, a growing number of civil public actions have been filed by associations, in particular associations for the defense of rights. The data also indicate that different types of associations mobilize common repertoires, and despite variations in the mapped associative universe, labor organizations (trade unions and professional associations) and territory-based associations have used these two repertoires the most.
associativism; democracy; repertoires; public civil action; public policy council