Paper short abstract:

This presentation analyses the practices and pathologizations of imitation and its contradictions in contemporary social protest movements in Germany and argues for the attempt to entagle the mess without forgetting to acknowledge the authenticity of imitation.

Paper long abstract:

In the current political debate in Germany, opposing groups that differentiate themselves from one another through the dichotomous attributions of being left-wing or right-wing and tend to deny their political opponents their moral and/or intellectual capacity and pathologize them as stupid and/or insane. The mutual accusation of consciously or unconsciously imitating the behaviour of the political opponent plays a decisive role in this debate, resulting in a kaleidoscope of mutual accusations of imitations that are not without a certain irony when right-wing actors adopt traditionally left-wing forms of protest, privileged classes present themselves as marginalized victims or left-wing actors use traditionally right-wing arguments. Based on anthropological fieldwork among protesters for and against the state imposed measures to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 during Corona times and the following protests in post-Corona times, this presentation analyses the practices and pathologizations of imitation and its contradictions in contemporary social protest movements in Germany and argues for the attempt to entangle the mess without forgetting to acknowledge the authenticity of imitation.