Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. In 1999, thousands of activists turned out to protest against the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Seattle in a series of events that the left heralded as the 'coming out party' for a global movement. The obstacles faced by those attempting to challenge neoliberalism are significant, although the recent global financial crisis has gone some way towards weakening the idea that neoliberal globalisation is the pinnacle of economic, social, and political organisation. The power structures and institutions built up over previous decades are unlikely to disappear overnight, and it is doubtful that the more sceptical language towards neoliberalism employed by centrists such as Kevin Rudd and Obama will translate into deep structural change. Progressive movements will, therefore, remain one of the primary actors in the search to build alternatives to neoliberal globalisation.