Social Movements in Global Politics (PDF)

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.