Abstract
Banal as it may sound, these are interesting times for people studying globalization. The euphoria surrounding free trade that marked the 1990s has become much subdued with the economic crises and periodic recessions in the 2000s—especially in the aftermath of the near meltdown of the financial markets in 2008. Lasting stagnation and the fear of economic collapse in parts of the developed world have led to the rethinking of much of conventional political-economic wisdom. While supporters of free-market policies often use the phrase “there is no alternative,” this timely book presents a series of articles on movements and organizations engaged in efforts to provide alternatives to neoliberal globalization.
David Fasenfest’s introductory essay provides a brief historical account of the social background of the contemporary round of globalization. The economic and political framework of Fordism and welfare capitalism that sustained the post-WWII world order began to fray in the 1970s and 80s. The structural changes in the global economy, including deindustrialization in the developed nations, the rise of finance capitalism, and expansion of international trade led by transnational corporations created the foundation of the present global order. These changes came at significant social and political costs, which have contributed to the rise of a number of popular movements against the capriciousness and rapaciousness of the global economy. Many of these activists and organizations have been involved with the World Social Forum meetings beginning in Porto Allegre, Brazil in 2001.
The first section of the book provides a series of articles on innovations in strategies and techniques of activism in the new century. Melanie Bush and Deborah Little’s article on the pedagogy of social justice and political activism among college students grew out of their own teaching experience. The article discusses the potential of academic practices in promoting social consciousness and civic engagement in the public sphere. Lauren Langman presents a theoretical perspective in understanding global movements that emphasizes the emergence of new forms of political identities, networks, and technologies of collective action challenging the uneven and contradictory development of global capitalism. Victoria Carty shows how developments in information technology have facilitated innovative methods of communication, organization and construction of political identities through a study of the activists associated with MoveOn. Arseniy Gutnik’s article shows the impact of wider social and political forces, whether local, national or international, on HIV/AIDS activist organizations in Ukraine.
The second section continues the discussion with analyses of transnational social movements. Christopher Chase-Dunn and Matheu Kaneshiro finds that stable networks have emerged among activist organizations involved with the World Social Forum. These organizations are linked to one another through their common ties with a set of core movements such as the human rights movement. These have the potential to mobilize across national boundaries on common causes in spite of their organizational differences. Heather Gautney studies the activists, non-governmental organizations and political parties associated with the Globalization Movement and the World Social Forum. Her research highlights the alliances between and operating principles of these organizations, which deliberately avoid the centralized institutional frameworks and decision-making that characterized many left and right wing political formations in the past. Kristen Hopewell’s analysis of transnational advocacy efforts at the World Trade Organization shows an increasing trend of emergence of technical knowledge as the currency of influence. She argues that this process may privilege organizations with more resources and expertise in participating in the debates and discussions on global trade at the cost of others, resulting in the strengthening of the existing structures of inequality of influence and authority within multilateral organizations.
The concluding section focuses specifically on cases from Latin America. Ximena de la Barra and R.A. Dello Buono analyze grassroots organizational efforts contesting neoliberal models of economic development in several Latin American nations. They show how these movements have challenged the economic and political dominance of international financial organizations and military regimes through their struggle for legal reform and campaigns of reclaiming natural resources for the people. Victor Figueroa Sepúlveda’s article amends and extends Marx’s conception of surplus labor with reference to international migration trends and asymmetric integration of migrant labor. Marie Kennedy, Fernando Leiva, and Chris Tilly analyze the electoral victory of reinvigorated leftwing parties in several Latin American nations in the last decade. This “third left” wave is distinguished from the older traditions of guerrilla campaigns and populist movements by its quest for grass-roots decision-making, the cultivation of new political identities, and autonomous political and social development without the revolutionary overthrow of governments. Laura Harguindeguy analyzes the occupation of abandoned factories by workers cooperatives in Argentina leading to the reinvigoration of these enterprises through non-hierarchical organizational practices and collective ownership. Emily Achtenberg analyzes the politics of the Federation of Neighborhood Councils-El Alto (FEJUVE), a coalition of grassroots community organizations, which played a significant role in Evo Morales’ electoral victory in Bolivia. Margaret Cerulo analyzes the efforts by the Zapatistas to gain autonomy from the state and governmental institutions, and their construction of new political subjectivities by establishing institutions and practices of local self-government.
Overall, the articles raise many theoretically compelling and politically relevant questions regarding the global order at the current crossroads of history. It clearly highlights examples of what Susan George called the “thousands of alternatives” to neo-liberal globalization, though discussion of more cases from the developing world beyond Latin America would have been welcome. This volume is an important addition to the literature on social movements, political sociology, globalization, and development studies. It will also be valuable to an audience beyond academia interested in social justice issues.