Social Movements in Global Politics
David West
- Social
- Movements
- in
- Global
- Politics
- is
- a
- timely
- new
- account
- of
- the
- unconventional,
- ‘extra-institutional’
- activities
- of
- social
- movements.In
- the
- face
- of
- impending
- global
- crises
- and
- stubborn
- conflicts,
- a
- conventional
- view
- of
- politics
- risks
- leaving
- us
- confused
- and
- fatalistic,
- feeling
- powerless
- because
- we
- are
- unaware
- of
- all
- that
- can
- be
- achieved
- by
- political
- means.
- By
- contrast,
- a
- variety
- of
- recent
- social
- movements,
- ranging
- from
- those
- of
- women,
- gays
- and
- lesbians
- and
- anti-racists,
- to
- environmentalists,
- the
- Occupy
- movement
- and
- the
- Arab
- Spring,
- demonstrate
- the
- enormous
- potential
- of
- political
- action
- beyond
- the
- institutional
- sphere
- of
- politics.
- At
- the
- same
- time,
- religious
- fundamentalists,
- racial
- supremacists
- and
- ultra-nationalists
- make
- clear
- that
- movements
- are
- not
- necessarily
- progressive
- and
- are
- often
- at
- odds
- with
- one
- another.West
- highlights
- the
- many
- ways
- in
- which
- national
- and
- global
- institutions
- depend
- on
- a
- broader
- context
- of
- extra-institutional
- action
- or
- what
- is,
- in
- effect,
- the
- formative
- dimension
- of
- politics.
- He
- explores
- some
- of
- the
- major
- contributions
- of
- social
- movements:
- from
- the
- genealogy
- of
- liberal
- democratic
- nation-states,
- sixties’
- radicalism
- and
- the
- ‘new
- social
- movements’
- to
- the
- politics
- of
- sexuality,
- gender
- and
- identity,
- the
- politicization
- of
- nature
- and
- climate,
- and
- alter-globalization.
- The
- book
- also
- considers
- current
- theoretical
- approaches
- and
- sets
- out
- the
- basis
- for
- a
- critical
- theory
- of
- social
- movements.
- This
- is
- a
- fresh
- and
- original
- account
- of
- social
- movements
- in
- politics
- and
- will
- be
- essential
- reading
- for
- any
- students
- and
- scholars
- interested
- in
- the
- challenges
- and
- the
- unpredictable
- potential
- of
- political action.
