Protest and Organization in the Alternative Globalization Era : NGOs, Social Movements, and Political Parties

This study looks at the ongoing efforts of the Alternative Global Movement and World Social Forum to reconcile contests over political organization among three of the most prominent groups on the contemporary left - social and liberal democratic NGOs, anti-authoritarian (anarchist) social movements, and political parties.

Protest and Organization in the Alternative Globalization Era examines the development of anticorporate, prodemocracy movements over the last two decades, from the Alternative Globalization Movement and World Social Forum that ushered in the 21st century, to today's massive Arab Spring, Eurozone crisis, and Occupy Wall Street. The book locates the root causes of global recession, runaway debt, and severe social inequality that precipitated these movements within political-economic systems established decades earlier, offering a critical account of neoliberal capitalism's utter incompatibility with democratic freedom. It focuses on contests over the development of economic alternatives, social transformation, and political organization among the most prominent tendencies on the global Left, as well as the challenges they face in collectively developing new, egalitarian social institutions and democratic political programs. The result is a highly nuanced account of struggles that function as a vital counterforce to illegitimate governments and corporate power.

"This book details the history of the alter-globalization protests over the last decade and the attempts by various groups on the global left to build alternatives to neoliberal development through the mechanism of the World Social Forum. Gautney analyzes ongoing contests over political organization and strategy among three of the most prominent groups on the contemporary left - social and liberal democratic NGOs, anti-authoritarian (anarchist) social movements, and political parties. Highlighted are the challenges these groups face in developing new, egalitarian social institutions and democratic political programs in the midst of turbulent times."--BOOK JACKET NL-ZmNBD Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction....Pages 1-8 Neoliberal Globalization: Origins and Effects....Pages 9-38 The Alternative Globalization Movement and World Social Forum....Pages 39-83 Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs)....Pages 85-109 Antiauthoritarian Social Movements....Pages 111-139 Political Parties and the State....Pages 141-164 States and Movements....Pages 165-176 Conclusion....Pages 177-180 Back Matter....Pages 181-237 This study looks at the ongoing efforts of the alternative globalization movement, using the mechanism of the World Social Forum, to reconcile contests over political organization