‘Another Europe is possible’? Labour and social movements at the European social forum

Abstract

The first European Social Forum (ESF) held in Florence, Italy from 6 to 10 November 2002 brought together a diverse array of so-called ‘anti-capitalist’ movements including trade unions, new, radical unions and social movements to contest the agenda of neoliberalism as it is presented within and beyond processes of European integration. This article evaluates the ESF and the possibilities for cooperation between labour and social movements in forming joint strategies against neoliberalism. It is often assumed—rather than demonstrated—that established trade unions are an obstacle to more radical contestatory practices of direct-action social movement resistance. With detailed empirical analysis, the article assesses whether there was a continuation of reformist practices within unionist activities at the ESF allied with a focus on the often-contrary sensibilities of social movement opposition. The activities and joint strategies of labour and social movements at the ESF are therefore examined, not least their resistance to both neoliberalism and its ultimate extra-economic enforcement through military power as evidenced by the war on Iraq. Whilst conclusions about the efficacy of future cooperation are cautious it appears that the horizons of resistance are expanding not only within Europe but also at the global level. Adam David Mortonis lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Lancaster University and visiting lecturer in the Department of International Relations and History at the Universidad de las Américas (Puebla), México. His research focuses on issues of state formation, resistance, and economic restructuring in Mexico and Latin America. He is author ofUnravelling Gramsci: Hegemony, Imperialism, and Resistance in the Global Political Economy(Pluto Press, 2006) and he has published in various journals, includingMillennium: Journal of International Studies, Review of International Studies, Review of International Political EconomyandThird World Quarterly. Andreas Bieleris senior lecturer in the School of Politics at the University of Nottingham, UK. His current research project deals with the positions of trade unions on Economic and Monetary Union against the background of global restructuring and how this impacts on the emerging European model of capitalism. He is author ofGlobalisation and Enlargement of the European Unionand co-editor (with Richard Higgott and Geoffrey Underhill) ofNon-State Actors and Authority in the Global Systemas well as (with Adam David Morton) ofSocial Forces in the Making of the New Europe.