Power and Transnational Activism

by Thomas Olesen (Editor)

Overview

This book focuses on global activism and uses a power perspective to provide an in-depth and coherent analysis of both the possibilities and limitations of global activism.

Bringing together scholars from IR, sociology, and political science, this book offers new and critical insights on global activism and power. It features case studies on the following'social and political issues: China and Tibet, HIV/AIDS, climate change, child labour, the WTO, women and the UN, the global public sphere, regional integration, national power, world'social forums, policing, media power and global civil society.

It will be of interest to students and scholars of globalization, global sociology and international politics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415746618
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	11/11/2013
Series:	Rethinking Globalizations
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Thomas Olesen is associate professor, Ph.D. in the Department of Political Science, University of Aarhus, Denmark. His research interests are social movements, media, solidarity and globalization. Recent publications include International Zapatismo: The Construction of Solidarity in the Age of Globalization (London: Zed Books, 2005). He is currently working on two research projects: one on solidarity movements, distant issues and globalization in Denmark in the period from 1945 to 2008, and another on global activism and communication.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Power and Transnational Activist Framing Thomas Olesen. Critiques and Appraisals 2. Counter-Power in the Global Age: Strategies of Civil Society Movements Ulrich Beck 3. Evading the Challenge: The Limits of Global Activism David Chandler 4. Coordinated Power in Contemporary Leftist Activism Ruth Reitan. The State and the National 5. The Limits of Power and Protest: Civil Society Mobilization against North American Integration Jeffrey Ayres 6. State Power and the Control of Transnational Protests Donatella della Porta and Herbert Reiter 7. China and the Limits of Transnational Human Rights Activism: From Tiananmen Square to the Beijing Olympics Caroline Fleay 8. State-Led Social Boundary Change: Transnational Environmental Activism, ‘Eco-Terrorism’ and September 11 Shannon Gibson 9. National Origin and Transnational Activism Sarah Stroup. Representation and Discourse 10. The Representational Power of Civil Society Organizations in Global AIDS Governance: Advocating for Children in Global Health Politics Anna Holzscheiter 11. Taming of the Shrew? International Women’s NGOs, Institutional Power, and the UN Jutta Joachim 12. Global Justice Movements and the Mass Media: Conceptual Reflections and Empirical Findings Dieter Rucht 13. AID(S) Politics and Power: A Critique of Global Governance Håkan Thörn 14. Conclusion: Transnational Counterpublics and Democracy Thomas Olesen

Editorial Reviews

‘One of the most appreciated virtues of civil society is its ability to frame old or neglected issues in innovative ways. Olesen’s edited volume provides an important contribution to this debate on transnational activism. Contrasting civil society capacity to frame new discursive opportunity structures at the international level to the resilient ability of the state to exert restraining power at the national level, the book opens up new avenues to understand the power of civil society actors together with its limits.’ - Raffaele Marchetti, Lecturer of International Relations, Department of Political Science, LUISS and University of Naples L'Orientale, Italy

‘Here is a valuable collection in which top-rate thinkers offer diverse assessments of the place of transnational counter-publics in contemporary politics. It is an important question, and the book offers novel and interesting answers.’ - Jan Aart Scholte, University of Warwick, UK

From the Publisher