The Will of the Many: How the Alterglobalisation Movement Is Changing the Face of Democracy

Never before has the idea of democracy enjoyed the global dominance it holds today, but neoliberalism has left the practice of democracy finds itself in deep crisis. Marianne Maeckelbergh argues that the most promising model for global democracy is not coming from traditional political parties or international institutions, but from the global networks of resistance to neoliberal economics, known collectively as the Alter-globalization movement. Through extensive ethnography of decision-making practices within these movements, Maeckelbergh describes an alternative form of global democracy in the making. Perfect for activists and students of political anthropology, this powerful and enlightening book offers radical changes.

Marianne Maeckelbergh is lecturer in Cultural Anthropology at the Universtity of Leiden, Netherlands and received her PhD from the University of Sussex. She has 15 years experience of alterglobalization activism, organizing and facilitating exactly the decision-making processes that lie at the heart of her study. Her other research interests include anthropological approaches to ‘identity,’ ‘personhood’ and ‘agency’ in a context of global flows, urban social movements in India, class, and language.