The party is over. Young activists in radical-left groups and institutional politics

In Italy, radical extra-parliamentary left-wing groups with a strong youth presence display an almost complete absence of collaboration with political parties, including those on the left. This article investigates why this separation exists and how it is justified by young activists. Drawing on 44 qualitative interviews with activists from 38 groups in 14 cities, the analysis shows that weak collaboration cannot be explained solely by distrust or strategic calculations. Rather, it reflects a multi-level incompatibility between the party form of political organisation and the practices and expectations that structure contemporary radical youth activism. The fracture concerns, first, aims and horizons of action, with activists orienting their engagement towards radical transformation and prefigurative alternatives rather than institutional compromise. Second, it concerns organisational cultures, as assembly-based, horizontal and initiative-driven models clash with delegated, leadership-centred and bureaucratic party routines. Third, it concerns political language and relevance, with parties often perceived as anachronistic and detached from “real life” problems. Finally, it concerns the meanings of participation: for many young people, activism is also a space for sociability, recognition, identity, and personal growth, which the party form is widely perceived as unable to provide.