Routledge Handbook on World Social Forum Activism (Paradigm Handbooks)

The World Social Forum (WSF) has become the focus for a diverse array of movements advancing alternative visions of globalisation. The numerous WSF's have helped to connect activists in an increasingly dense network of advocates for radical social change. They have mobilised hundreds of thousands of people and may be one of the most important political developments of our time. The Handbook of World Social Forum Activism brings together leading scholars of the social forum process from North America and Europe. The collection contributes to the ongoing process of reflection from the WSF experience, and is accessible to activists, students and scholars alike. Review "Recommended" ―CHOICE “As the WSF slogan proclaims: another world is possible. Anyone who wants this other world would do well to read this book and to think about the leads that it gives. It should certainly be on the shelves of all college and public libraries, and the paperback edition promised by the publishers would be very welcome.” ―Leslie Sklair in the International Journal of Urban and Regional Research "Those engaged in World Social Forum process all over the planet hope it will continue its way inside the United States, to make possible the building of a new world of justice, peace, and love. I am sure this book will play an important role in this walk." ―Chico Whitaker, from the Foreword "As the global political order reels from bank failures, rising energy and food prices, and increasingly urgent fiscal crises, activists and critical intellectuals are proposing sustainable alternatives to globalized capitalism. A major site for these debates has been the World Social Forum process, which began in 2001 and has since then mobilized people around the world at the global, regional, and local levels. This book documents this process, informs activists and scholars about the lessons it offers, and analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the Forum process as it has moved from Latin America, to Africa and Asia and even--in the form of the U.S. Social Forum--to 'the belly of the hegemon.'" ―Sidney Tarrow, Cornell University, author of The New Transnational Activism "A superb collection, documenting the importance of the World Social Forum in creating a new vision for our movement and our world." ―Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of The Council of Canadians, cofounder of the Blue Planet Project, and 2005 recipient of the Right Livelihood Award. About the Author Jackie Smith is Associate Professor of Sociology and Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Ellen Reese is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of California-Riverside. Scott Byrd is a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at the University of California, Irvine Elizabeth Smythe is a professor of political science at Concordia University College of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta.