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Connecting social movements and political moments: bringing movement building tools from global justice to Occupy Wall Street activism

Smith, Jackie (2012) Connecting social movements and political moments: bringing movement building tools from global justice to Occupy Wall Street activism. Interface: A Journal for and about Social Movements, 4 (2). 369 - 382. ISSN 2009-2431

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Abstract

The current political moment has given birth to the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) and other forms of resistance around the world. How might this moment of upsurge in global protest be sustained and expanded? This paper considers how earlier movements can contribute to today’s struggles. Many contemporary activists conceptualize their struggle in local or national rather than global terms, and most have yet to fully explore the lessons and resources of earlier movements. Yet, the global justice movement and World Social Forums offer important strategic lessons and models to inform an emancipatory project that addresses the concerns of contemporary activists. Global justice movements have expressed a three-part strategy of resisting and rolling back neoliberal globalization, articulating alternatives to globalized capitalism, and working to build collective power. While OWS has helped spark new activism around the work of resisting economic globalization and (in a more limited way) articulating alternatives to capitalism, in many places it has been less attentive to the long-range work of movement-building. Efforts by OWS activists to connect with and build upon these earlier streams of organizing work can strengthen momentum for global social change.


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Details

Item Type: Article
Status: Published
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Smith, Jackiejgsmith@pitt.eduJGSMITH0000-0002-4808-0391
Date: 23 November 2012
Date Type: Publication
Access Restriction: No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately.
Journal or Publication Title: Interface: A Journal for and about Social Movements
Volume: 4
Number: 2
Publisher: Interface
Page Range: 369 - 382
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Sociology
Refereed: Yes
ISSN: 2009-2431
Official URL: http://www.interfacejournal.net/wordpress/wp-conte...
Related URLs:
Article Type: Research Article
Date Deposited: 21 Feb 2014 22:19
Last Modified: 01 Mar 2019 14:55
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/20583

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