multitud

Multitud is a Spanish noun that denotes a large number of people gathered together, often in a public space. In everyday use it is the equivalent of the English “crowd” or “throng,” but in scholarly and political discourse it can carry more specific meanings related to collective action and political subjects. The term derives from Latin multitūdō, and its usage spans sociology, political theory, and cultural analysis.

In contemporary theory, multitud has been used to describe a form of collective subject that is distinct from a unified nation or a single class. The concept has been popularized in particular by Antonio Negri and Michael Hardt in their book Multitude: War and Democracy in the Age of Empire (2004). They argue that the multitude consists of diverse, interconnected individuals—often dispersed and heterogeneous—who collaborate through networks and immaterial labor (such as information, communication, and cultural production). This plurality is capable of acting democratically and creatively to challenge centralized power and extractive political orders, described by them as Empire. The multitude, they suggest, produces common goods and innovations through cooperative social labor, rather than through traditional centralized sovereignty.

The notion has influenced discussions of global movements, digital activism, and new forms of citizenship, emphasizing networked collaboration, transnational solidarity, and the politics of the commons. It has also attracted criticism for being vague or essentializing, with detractors arguing that it risks conflating disparate struggles or overestimating the emancipatory potential of networked labor.

In sum, multitud can refer to a crowd in ordinary speech, while in political theory it denotes a heterogeneous, networked collective capable of democratic action and transformative social change.