Occupation of public spaces, public assemblies and the frame “Democracy Now! Podemos and the Platform against Evictions (PAH). There are many examples for the import of ideas and models from Spain to be found in the Portuguese anti-austerity movements. In our contribution we analyze the spread of ideas, events and action frames from Spain to Portugal. Diffusion between movements includes processes of interpretation, especially "expectations about how things do and should work" (Polletta 2008:89). Based on extensive fieldwork in Portugal and in Spain we reconstruct perceptions amongst the Portuguese activists of cultural differences and the construction of otherness (the Spanish vs. the Portuguese). For the Spanish case we analyze strategies of Spanish activist groups to actively diffuse their ideas and organize international events. We take into consideration concrete practices of export, import and shaping of frames, strategies and repertoires. Shaping of models from abroad to make them fit to the national context does not always happen consciously. Often alterations are the result of an interplay of actors that interpret ideas from abroad differently. Sometimes ideas are developed further including experiences with the “original” import. We describe processes of shaping that contain factors, like the historical context, past experiences, alliances or expectations and explanations about what works in each context. We furthermore compare action frames and events to show quantitative and qualitative differences between these processes of social mobilization in Portugal and Spain since 2011. The presentation contributes to the literature on diffusion. It focusses on two recent cases of social movements that went through a process of different stages of cooperation, starting from single contacts at the individual level and diffusion mainly via the web 2.0 and developing towards a closer cooperation including meetings and the creation of international platforms.

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