Another Europe : Conceptions and practices of democracy in the European Social Forums

ISBN-13: 9780415474641 / Angielski / Twarda / 2009 / 270 str.

Donatella Della Porta

Opis

Given the recent focus on the challenges to representative democracy, and the search for new institutions and procedures that can help to channel increasing participation, this book offers empirical insights on alternative conceptions of democracy and the actors that promote them.

With a focus on the conceptions and practices of democracy within contemporary social movements in Europe, this volume contributes to the debate on the different dimensions of democracy, especially on representation and participation. The book explores the transnational dimension of democracy and addresses a relevant, and little analyzed aspect of Europeanization: the Europeanization of social movements. From a methodological point of view, the research innovates by covering an until recently neglected population of individuals: social movement activists. Additionally, the various chapters combine the analysis of the individuals’ attitudes and behavior with that of organizational characteristics, procedures and practices of democracy.

Providing a cross-national comparison on the global justice movement, the theoretical challenges of the new wave of protest and the rich empirical data this book will appeal to students and scholars of sociology, political sociology, social movement studies, transnational as well as comparative politics.

Spis treści

1. Why Research Democracy and the European Social Forum? An Introduction Donatella della Porta  2. The ESF Organizational Process in a Diachronic Perspective Nicolas Haering, Cristopher Haug and Lorenzo Mosca  3. Communicating the Forum Lorenzo Mosca, Dieter Rucht, Simon Teune and Sara Lopez Martin  4. Models of Democracy: how Activists see Democracy in the Movement Massimiliano Andretta and Donatella della Porta  5. Democracy from Below: Activists and Institutions Donatella della Porta and Marco Giugni  6. The Socio-Demography of Global Activism Massimiliano Andretta, Marko Bandler, Nicolas Haeringer, Ilhame Hajji, Manuel Jiménez and Isabelle Sommier  7. The European Social Forum and the Organizational Dimension Clare Saunders, Massimiliano Andretta, Nicolas Haeringer, Ilhame Hajji, and Isabelle Sommier  8. How Deliberative Democracy (net)Works Massimiliano Andretta, Iosif Botetzagias, Moses Boudourides, Olga Kioufegi, and Mundo Yang  9. Protest and the Forum Marco Giugni, Alessandro Nai, and Herbert Reiter  10. The European Left and the ESF Massimiliano Andretta and Herbert Reiter  11. Conclusion Donatella della Porta

O autorze

Donatella Della Porta is professor of sociology in the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the European University Institute, Italy.