Strength and Struggles
Alter-globalization, Climate Crisis, and Contested Development: The Case of Anti-extractivist Movements in the Maghreb Region
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Angela Joya
This paper explores the alternative responses to neoliberal development that have emerged in the post-Arab uprising period in the Middle East and North Africa. A number of grass roots groups and organizations have mobilized their opposition to the extractivist development policies (around mining and fracking) by framing their opposition as an extension of an anti-colonial movement. In the process, these groups are actively contesting the knowledge framework at the heart of the current development strategies, by actively producing knowledge about development that is locally informed and that meets the needs of local communities along axis of social and environmental justice and ecological sustainability. As such, these movements position themselves not only against important and powerful global actors (international financial institutions and development agencies) but they also the state and domestic elites at the local level. What is the significance of these movements for redefining the political in a post-neoliberal era shaped increasingly by concerns around climate change? In other words, how are these movements shaping the nature of political discourse and resituating the economy and the state at the heart of the local struggles? With these questions in mind, this paper compares three alter-globalization movements that span Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia based on fieldwork and interviews carried out in the region in the fall of 2019.
Globalization and Social Movements: The Rise of Anti-global Protests
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Dhritiman Banerjee
After the end of the Cold War, the phenomenon of globalization was witnessed by the modern world as the free movement of goods and capital was emphasized through increased international trade through opening up of national economies and relaxation of national barriers and tariffs on foreign trade and investment. Globalization was also a cultural phenomenon as it led to the rapid export of Western values and culture to the non-Western societies as well as contributed to the spread of the political values and institutions of the West as the system of liberal democracy became popular in the authoritarian States of Central Asia and the Middle East leading to the rise of popular pro-democracy people’s movements through the Color Revolutions and the Arab Spring respectively. However the rise of the anti-global sentiment as an anti-thesis also begins to take root in the popular imagination particularly with the rise in popularity of right wing populist movements that seeks to protect the native residents of the States who are affected by the economic impact of globalization as well as seeks to protect the traditional culture from foreign influences. In fact many non-western societies view Globalization as an attempt to strengthen the cultural hegemony of the West and pervert the culture of these societies. This paper seeks to map the patterns of violent as well as non-violent anti-globalization social movements in Western as well as non-Western societies and identify the patterns inherent to these movements.
Resistance and Uncertainty: Introducing Dominica as a Microcosm of Survival in Colonialism and Globalization
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Nancy Wright
The tiny Caribbean island of Dominica, the newest of the Lesser Antilles, remains largely overlooked in international relations and comparative politics. This paper introduces the history, culture, and politics of the island, including the unique character and role of the Maroons, who are largely responsible for resisting colonial invaders. Engaging the experience of the pre-Columbian Kalinago inhabitants, their own agrarian knowledge, and the largely inaccessible terrain of the island, the Maroons resisted colonial invaders and established societies that became the foundation for Dominica as an independent republic. This paper further raises the question of whether the legacy of the Maroons and the remaining Kalinago can influence the more recent trends of developing Dominica into a major financial hub as a response to economic globalization. Although not a social movement, the Maroons constituted a force for change that the island still reflects, albeit under contemporary political and economic pressures. Thus the study stresses the value of Dominica as a mircocosm of many of the struggles of the Global South, and at the same time as an exception that warrants a greater focus in political science research and pedagogy. In addition to providing handouts with resources for instructors and researchers, the session includes a few very short videos, ranging from one to five minutes each, that present key aspects of Dominica's history and culture.
