Keeping Your Enemies Close? The Variety of Social Movements’ Reactions to International Organizations’ Opening Up

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Anderl ◽  
Priska Daphi ◽  
Nicole Deitelhoff
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
International Relations ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Global Justice ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Global Justice Movement ◽  
History Of ◽  
Opening Up

Abstract Starting in the 1990s, international organizations (IOs) have created various opportunities of access for civil society to voice criticism. While international relations (IR) scholarship has increasingly addressed the resulting interaction between IOs and civil society with a focus on NGOs, we know little about the particular reactions to IOs’ opening up by social movements. This paper analyzes reactions to opening up by a transnational social movement centrally addressing IOs: the Global Justice Movement (GJM). Examining reactions by different groups of the GJM in Europe and Southeast Asia to IOs’ opening up, we demonstrate that reactions differ considerably depending on activists’ assessments of the nature of opening up. In particular, we identify four pathways of reactions on a continuum from (1) strong cooperation with IOs as a reaction to opening up, (2) temporally limited cooperation with different IOs, (3) a hybrid reaction that combines cooperation with specific IOs with a strong opposition to other IOs in reaction to their opening up, to (4) a continuous rejection of all cooperation with IOs. We show how these different reactions are shaped by activists’ perceptions of the quality of the international opening up in conjunction with national and local context factors. Furthermore, our analysis demonstrates that such perceptions can significantly change over time depending on experiences of interactions. Reactions to opening up are therefore not predictable on the basis of a movement's shape and resources only, but rather depend on a variety of factors such as the movement's perception of the IO's sincerity in a strategic and consequential interaction, as well as the movement's ideological framework and its history of interaction with institutions at other levels, especially in the domestic realm.

Global Movements

2018 ◽  
pp. 714-730
Author(s):  
Donatella della Porta
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Global Justice ◽  
Transnational Networks ◽  
Organizational Model ◽  
Neoliberal Globalization ◽  
Global Justice Movement ◽  
Governmental Organization ◽  
Global Movements

The chapter focuses on global social movements, defined as transnational networks of actors that define their causes as global and organize protest campaigns and other forms of action that target more than one state and/or international governmental organization. Bridging insights from international relations and social movement studies, the chapter analyzes the spread of transnational contention, examining some main characteristics of repertoires of action, organizational model, and framing processes, with particular attention to the global justice movement. Explanations for the spread of global movements are then reviewed: the politicization of international relations, the development of multilevel opportunities, movements’ strategies of domestication and externalization, and the spreading of neoliberal globalization. Finally, the chapter examines the potential evolution of global movements, considering the challenges to transnationalization of contention in recent anti-austerity protests.

Making The Polis: Social Forums and Democracy in The Global Justice Movement

2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donatella Porta
Keyword(s):  
Deliberative Democracy ◽  
Global Justice ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
Global Justice Movement ◽  
Good Communication ◽  
Organizational Demands ◽  
Past Experiences ◽  
Movement Organizations ◽  
The Cost

The debate on deliberative democracy could open a fruitful perspective for research on social movement conceptions and practices of democracy. This article reports a pilot study of the values and norms that guide the global justice movement's organizational choices based upon focus groups and in-depth interviews with participants in various Italian social forums. Deliberative democracy, which emphasizes participation and the quality of communication, is particularly relevant for a multifaceted, heterogeneous movement that incorporates many social, generational, and ideological groups as well as movement organizations from different countries. The global justice movement—a "movement of movements" according to some activists—comprises a dense network of movement organizations, often the product of previous protest cycles. It builds upon past experiences of organizational institutionalization, but also upon reflexive criticisms of it. These networks of networks provide important resources, but also pose challenges for participation and internal communication. The activists in our study addressed these challenges by building an organizational culture that stressed diversity rather than homogeneity; subjectivity, rather than obedience to organizational demands; transparency, even at the cost of effectiveness; open confrontations oriented to consensus building over efficient decision making; and "ideological contamination" rather than dogmatism. Traditional participatory models of democracy are bridged with concerns for good communication and deliberation.

scholarly journals Transhumanism: from Julian Huxley to UNESCO

JAHR ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-160
Author(s):  
Christian Byk
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
International Organization ◽  
Director General ◽  
Aldous Huxley ◽  
Julian Huxley ◽  
Science And Culture ◽  
History Of ◽  
Brave New World

Julian Huxley, founder and the first Director-General of UNESCO, is at the heart of contemporary debates on the nature and objectives of the concept of transhumanism, which he first used in the early 1950s. Therefore, the analysis of his idea of transhumanism - a tool to improve the quality of life and the condition of man - should lead us to question his heritage in terms of philosophy that inspires UNESCO’s action as it seeks to build a comprehensive approach to artificial intelligence that takes into account, among other things, the values and principles of universal ethics and aims to derive the best from the use of this technology. This title where the British biologist, the elder brother of the famous science fiction writer, Aldous Huxley, author of the Brave New World, coexists with the United Nations Organization in charge of Education of Science and Culture is obvious for those who know the history of this international organization or who like radio games: Julian Huxley was appointed as the first Director-General of UNESCO in 1946. But, beyond this evidence, there is a deeper link that highlights the history of the renewal of the idea of transhumanism (I) and questions about the role that UNESCO has, among the other international organizations (II).

The Socialization of ICTs in Ethiopia

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 13-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iginio Gagliardone
Keyword(s):  
Technology Adoption ◽  
International Relations ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Nation Building ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Political Elite ◽  
History Of Technology ◽  
National Project ◽  
Extensive Field ◽  
History Of

This paper addresses how state actors in the developing world have influenced technology adoption and favoured the diffusion of certain uses of ICTs while discouraging others. Drawing upon extensive field research and looking at the evolution of ICTs in Ethiopia, it examines how a semi-authoritarian, yet developmentally oriented regime, has actively sought to mediate the – either real or imagined – destabilising aspects of ICTs while embracing them as a tool for nation-building. A constructivist framework as developed in international relations and history of technology is employed to understand how the introduction of the new ICT framework as promoted by international organizations has been mediated both by the results of the socialization of earlier technologies in Ethiopia and by the national project pursued by the local political elite.

The Globalization of Protest in Africa

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Emmanuelle Pommerolle
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Movements ◽  
Global Justice ◽  
International Networks ◽  
Transnational Social Movements ◽  
Adequate Response ◽  
New Concepts ◽  
History Of ◽  
Differential Density ◽  
Justice Movements

Academic studies on the globalized dimension of African protests have complexified the understanding of “transnational social movements,” too often considered as the mechanical and adequate response to a newly globalized neoliberal economy. The long history of globalized protest in and about Africa, starting from the antislavery campaigns to the global justice movements, shows that these movements, often initiated outside the continent, have contributed to the “invention of Africa.” The notion of “extraversion” developed by Jean-François Bayart to explain African states’ relation to the outside world helps interrogating the material and symbolic asymmetrical relationships inside these networks but also the agency of African protesters in shaping their causes. Resources, legitimate knowledge, and audiences of protest are structurally located with Western actors, creating misunderstanding or conflicts in these globalized networks. But African activists do benefit from their internationalization, acting as a protection and a—sometimes contested—legitimation. Also, against the imposition of supposedly universal causes, African protesters have developed new concepts and narratives, especially on gender and sex rights, to assert an African way of framing these causes. Far from being completely constrained by Western agenda, funding, or audience, some local conflicts also benefit from often international ramifications born out of the development of transnational criminal economies. Lastly, reflections on the regional variations and the diffusion of protest inside the continent shows a differential density of international networks and the growing importance of social media in the globalization of protest.

From the Streets to the Net? The Political Use of the Internet by Social Movements

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorenzo Mosca
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Quantitative Data ◽  
Global Justice ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
The Political ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Global Justice Movement ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Use Of The Internet ◽  
Definition Of

This article focuses on the political use of the Internet by the Italian Global Justice Movement (GJM) considering both the organizations and the individuals involved in the movement. First, a definition of the concept ‘political use of the Internet’ and its operationalization is provided. Second, light is shed on how the Internet is used politically by participants in social movements taking into account their organizational and participatory experiences. Data were gathered with quantitative and qualitative instruments during different researches: a survey of participants in a demonstration against the ‘Bolkestein’ directive and a series of interviews with representatives of different organizational sectors of the Italian GJM, complemented by a qualitative website analysis of the same organizations. While quantitative data allows for controlling relations among variables concerning the political use of the Internet by individuals, qualitative data provides more detailed information on Internet use in the everyday life of activists and organizations.

scholarly journals Ukrainian Issues in Geopolitical Thought of the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-39
Author(s):  
Jacek Reginia-Zacharski
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Relative Power ◽  
Late Autumn ◽  
Windows Of Opportunity ◽  
Russian State ◽  
The Status ◽  
History Of ◽  
First Time

Ukrainian lands in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have been in proximity of great geopolitical changes several times. During that time the Ukrainian nation – due to various factors – encountered a number of “windows of opportunity” for achieving the realization of dreams about independence and national sovereignty. The author identified in the period considered four “general moments,” of which two have been completed successfully. The first of these occurred in 1990–1991, when for the first time in modern history, Ukrainians managed to achieve a lasting and relatively stable independence. The second of the “moments” – still unresolved – are events that began in the late autumn of 2013. The process, called “Revolution of Dignity”, represents a new quality in the history of the Ukrainian nation, therefore, that the Ukrainians have to defend the status quo (independence, territorial integrity, sovereignty, etc.) but not to seek to achieve an independent being. The analysis leads to the conclusion that the ability of Ukrainians to achieve and maintain independence is largely a function of the relative power of the Russian state as measured with respect to the shape and quality of international relations.

scholarly journals CECA e COMIN: A sociedade civil promovendo cidadania desde outras pedagogias

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (15) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Nivea Ivette Núñez de la Paz E Renate Gierus
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Social Movements ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Student Leaders ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Educational Processes ◽  
History Of

Este artigo, embasado em relatos de experiências, quer compartilhar processos educativos vivenciados a partir de duas organizações da sociedade civil - OSCs, o Centro Ecumênico de Capacitação e Assessoria - CECA e o Conselho de Missão entre Povos Indígenas-COMIN, instituições que tem suas sedes localizadas em São Leopoldo/RS. O CECA atua na formação de lideranças estudantis, comunitárias, de movimentos eclesiais e sociais; e o COMIN, com povos indígenas, ambas na promoção de cidadania e direitos humanos. Iniciamos o relato com um breve histórico de cada instituição, seguido da descrição metodológica da experiência, finalizando com uma análise da mesma.This article, based on experience reports, wants to share educational processes experienced based on two civil society organizations - OSCs, Ecumenical Centre for Training and Consultancy - CECA and Council of Mission among Indigenous people - COMIN, institutions that have their headquarters located in São Leopoldo / RS. CECA acts with formation of student leaders, community, ecclesial and social movements; and COMIN with indigenous peoples, both promote citizenship and human rights. We begin this reporting with a brief history of each institution, followed by the methodological description of the experience, ending with an analysis of that experience.

PERBANDINGAN TAMAN TRADISIONAL ISLAMIK, BARAT DAN MODEN

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
FAZLENA ABD. RAHIM ◽  
MOHD YAZID MOHD YUNUS ◽  
MOHAMED MOHAMED TOLBA SAID
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Public Parks ◽  
Aesthetic Value ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Cultural Images ◽  
History Of ◽  
Islamic Civilization ◽  
User Friendly

Kajian ini membincangkan perbezaan prinsip, konsep dan reka bentuk taman Islamik dan barat dari era tradisional hingga moden. Kurangnya rujukan mengenai prinsip taman Islamik di Malaysia telah menyebabkan kurangnya kefahaman terhadap reka bentuk taman Islamik yang sebenar yang mempunyai kualiti fungsi dan nilai estetik. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk memperbaiki kualiti taman awam di Malaysia berdasarkan prinsip taman Islamik yang mesra pengguna dan menampilkan imej budaya setempat dalam konteks bandar moden. Selain itu, bagi membuktikan bahawa taman barat diadaptasi daripada tamadun Islam. Objektif kajian ini adalah meneroka prinsip, konsep dan ciri taman Islamik yang dinyatakan di dalam Al Quran, hadis, sejarah taman tradisional Islamik dan barat serta model taman Islamik moden. Kaedah kualitatif yang melibatkan penerokaan teori telah digunakan untuk membina rumusan. Hasil kajian menunjukkan integrasi prinsip taman Islamik dengan persekitaran iklim tempatan, teknologi moden dan menampilkan imej budaya setempat menyumbang dalam penghasilan taman yang lebih berfungsi, mesra pengguna, unik, mempunyai identiti tersendiri dan bernilai estetik. Dapatan kajian ini memberi kefahaman maksud, konsep dan tujuan aplikasi reka bentuk taman Islamik moden yang boleh diterapkan untuk membentuk ruang awam yang berjaya dan lebih menarik dalam konteks tempatan di Malaysia.   This study discusses the differences of the principles, concepts and designs of Islamic and western gardens from the era of history to modernity. The lack of Islamic garden principles references in Malaysia has led to a lack of understanding of the design of an authenticity of Islamic park, which has a quality of function and aesthetic value. This study aims to improve the quality of public parks in Malaysia based on the Islamic garden principles, which is user friendly and feature the local cultural images in the context of modern cities. Besides, to prove that western gardens are adapted from Islamic civilization. The objective of this study is to identify the principles, concept and characteristics of the Islamic garden as stated in the Quran, hadith, the history of the Islamic and western traditional gardens and models of Islamic and western gardens in modern era. Qualitative methods involving theoretical exploration have been used to build conclusions. The results show that the integration of Islamic garden principles with the local climate, modern technologies and featuring local cultural images contributes to the production of a more functional, user-friendly, unique, have its own identity and aesthetic value. The findings of this study provide an understanding of the meaning, concept and purpose of the modern Islamic garden design application that can be applied to create a successful and more attractive public space in the local context of Malaysia.

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