Editorial Type:
Article Category: Research Article
| Online Publication Date: 21 Feb 2006
Limitations and Possibilities of Transnational Mobilization: The Case of Eu Summit Protesters in Brussels, 2001
Limitations and Possibilities of Transnational Mobilization: The Case of Eu Summit Protesters in Brussels, 2001
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Page Range: 39 – 54
Although transnational political institutions have been around for decades, it is only recently that the wave of protest against neoliberal globalization has successfully mobilized on a transnational scale. Nevertheless, barriers to transnational participation in protests are especially difficult to overcome. By means of a survey conducted with protesters from all over Europe during the 2001 anti-neoliberal globalization demonstrations at the EU summit in Brussels, we explore the specific impediments to transnational mobilization in the European context. How do anti-neoliberal globalization movement organizations manage to overcome obstacles while other movements are only able to coordinate collective action on a national level? Special attention is given to the impact these difficulties have on the motivation and profile of foreign versus local protesters. Are foreign protesters more radical in their actions than the local participants? Do they take a stronger stance towards their protest actions against globalization? We close by speculating on the future of this movement and on transnational collective action in general.
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