ABSTRACT
In this chapter we argue that plateaux facilitate the multiplication of forces through artisanal production in subjective, material and symbolic domains with the resultant vectors expressing both force and flight, thereby exposing the axiomatic of neo-liberalism to challenges that cannot be met by the application of equal and opposite forces within the fashion of a hegemonic struggle. This ‘asymmetric’ terrain of struggle is frequently addressed by political elites through the application of ‘simple’ solutions, including violent intervention by the state, such as the pre-emptive attacks against protesters in Genoa (Chapter 4) or populist attempts at assimilation through global governance structures.1 This chapter explores the force relations within this field of struggle by developing the account of the antagonistic orientation of the AGM (Chapter 5) and further distinguishing the composition of relations and forces constituting the AGM (Chapter 6), by explaining how collective identity approaches to social movements are problematised by the emergence of a global movement milieu animated through plateaux.
