Becoming a global activist through local social forum participation, or how to learn to ‘speak global politics’

The literature on social forum activists’ gatherings takes for granted the fact that participants are engaged in global struggles. By comparing ten local social forums (LSFs) in France and Quebec, we show that whether one becomes a ‘global activist’ is an empirical question. More specifically, the article argues that the way LSFs are practised either facilitates or limits the process of becoming a global activist. More specifically, it shows that (1) the topography of events is important to ensure moments of non-planned meeting among participants and the possibilities of building a shared sense of belonging and (2) the formats of events vary in their explicit will to encourage talking (global) politics.