ABSTRACT
A global social movement is one that involves conscious co-ordination of action and resources at an international level directed toward shared goals including social and political change (Cohen and Rai 2000; della Porta et al. 1999). These movements are also commonly referred to in the literature as transnational social movements (Smith et al. 1997; Tarrow 1998), although this difference in terminology also represents a conceptual difference between different ‘generations’ of activism that is explored below. Global social movements are both a response to and an effect of globalisation processes, including the growth of inexpensive and instantaneous communications, new patterns of mobility and cultural exchange and the emergence of global governance bodies and global corporations. McDonald (2006: 3) describes global movements as ‘the emergence of new kinds of networks and flows of communication, action, and experience’.
