![]() The ecological problem is related to the globalisation of economic relations and the ‘free market’ economy. Part of dealing with the future orientated problem of ecology involves examining in what direction economic thought must go in order to once more become relevant to human beings. This part restores economics to its true status as a means. Conventional economics treats ‘the economy’ as an abstraction which functions independently of the political, social, moral and ecological context. This part exposes economics to be an ideology in the critical sense, that is, as not knowledge as such but a distorted knowledge concerning appearances which serves to conceal contradictions, material interests and power relations to the benefit of the dominant class. The crisis in vision in economics is related to the economic system in general. The environmental crisis is related to the crisis in economic thought and practice. The emergence of an ecological consciousness is shown to be part of the process of revolutionizing society, restructuring power, changing culture and emphasising the quality of individual lives over the quantity of material accumulation and possession. Social and environmental justice are shown to be mutually supportive, the low-carbon economy which is a condition of the survival of civilised life also being socially just, egalitarian and democratic. This part examines the nature of the environmental crisis, paying particular attention to climate change and global poverty and inequality. A fundamental critical self-examination of ourselves and our communities of struggle is necessary to locate and situate the choices, possibilities and strategies with respect to the circumscribed options within the system and the feasible alternatives to that system. The perspective taken is that one civilisation is in the process of decay and another in the process of emerging. The environmental crisis is considered to be the product of a wider system failure. The Emerging Ecological Consciousness This part connects the contemporary environmental crisis with the wider societal crisis. And I argue this innovation process is meta-formative, where convergences of diverse actors comprise ‘social ecologies of alternatives’ which lead to opportunities for dynamic collaboration and partnership. I argue the World Social Forum Process is prefigurative, as an interactional process where many social alternatives are conceived, supported, developed and innovated into the world. And as part of this question, I have also explored how alternatives futures are developed and conceived, with a re-cognition of the importance of histories and geo-political (or 'eco-political') structures as contexts. In particular, this study has sought to shed light on how, within this process, groups and communities develop 'agency', a capacity to respond to the global challenges they / we face. And a situational account (of the G20 meeting in Melbourne in 2006) provides an overview of the variety of metanetworks that converge to voice demands for global justice and sustainability. An educational initiative provides a window into transformations in pedagogy. An activist exchange circle sheds light on strategic aspects of alternative globalisation. A local social forum opens up the radical diversity of actors. ![]() ![]() A grassroots film-makers collective provides a window into media. I provide a macro account of the invention and innovation of the World Social Forum. The thesis provides six accounts of groups and people striving and struggling for 'another world'. ![]() As an action research study, the research took place within a variety of groups and networks. I discuss both the discourses for 'another world', as well as the development of an Alternative Globalisation Movement. This study has examined the nature of this broader social forum process, in particular as an aspect of the movement for 'another globalisation'. Inspired by the initial World Social Forum in Porto Alegre Brazil, over the past decade over 200 local and regional social forums have been held, on five continents. ![]()
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