3. LEVELS OF ACTION
Strong communication circuits and communication networks allow those who wish to affirm their subjectivity through the pursuit of alternative globalisation strategies to come together, whilst expressing their own positions. These subjects become the architects of alternative globalisation initiatives by their attempts to shape and control their own lives, in alternative ways to dominant practices. In this way individuals and groups are involved in the construction of the movement that, drawing together multiple branches of social life, intervenes at a political level with regard to the control of cultural tendencies of systemic importance. In this way, the alterglobal movement is structured on three levels.
The first level is that on which the affirmation undertaken by the subject when pursuing alternative to unwelcome impositions, is expressed through the construction of living spaces. These are formed through attempts to practice alternative ways of being to those imposed by social forces and dominant cultural perspectives. Alternative globalisation campaigners intervene in various aspects of social life in order to practice alternatives relating to issues such as the production and dissemination of information, the allocation of financial investments, the structure of working relationships, environmental balance, the relationship between developed and less developed areas, international relations, the creation and use of languages and artistic activity. These interventions are enacted through activities such as physical expression, behavioral creativity, alternative uses of information infrastructures, mobilisations with a local focus, demonstrations and meetings with a broader relevance, as campaigners create alternative practices intended to alter their position in the areas of social life in which they are involved, and simultaneously to redefine their cultural significance. Thus these practices are intended to define the internal structure of a living space, but also to intervene beyond this space.
The internal structure of every living space is defined on the one hand by the capacity of subjects to express their own creativity individually, by inventing alternative cultural forms or by other means. On the other hand, this structure derives from the connections that these subjects establish among themselves through communication circuits, that are enabled by shared modalities and cultural visions expressed through these individual approaches. Finally, external intervention depends on the capacity of these subjects to implement the elements of these lifestyles outside the context of the living space in which they are devised. This is done in the hope of connecting one’s own networks to those within other living spaces that are culturally compatible; but also to connect, via communication networks, with yet other alternative globalisation campaigners, in order to involve them in their initiatives and to become involved themselves in the broader movement, seeking to contribute to the construction of alternatives to current aspects of globalised social life.
These living spaces are linked through communication networks and the activation of communication circuits that allow subjects to entwine the strands of their cultural framework (Cfr. 2), building the movement’s fundamental structure, and also to define its form at the same time. The basic structure is shaped by the living spaces that spring from strong understandings between subjects who seek to practice alternatives to specific alternative globalisation issues such as cultural expression, and who forge general links with other living spaces, whose characteristics relevant to alternative globalisation derive from individual involvement in direct action through international cooperation, but also from individuals committed to alternative action who carry with them issues related to new social movements and labour (Cfr. 1).
This structure results from the fact that living spaces of those in the movement are also interconnected in terms of cultural affinities and forms of initiative adopted for their construction. These connections allow areas of affinity to be formed between living spaces specifically geared towards alternative globalisation, that are distinct from one another but at the same time are linked through individuals and groups that come together in the movement; groups that originated in the new social movements of the last century and those that developed in the cultural context of industrialisation.
Echoing the distinction established between the first two constitutive components of the movement already discussed, these areas of affinity geared towards alternative globalisation develop in two main distinct strands, whose cultural layouts also enable them to determine their position within the alterglobal movement it self but deriving from new social movements and the labour movement (Cfr. 1). The first strand is that of experimental forums for creative expression. The second is that of living spaces that are defined as functional aspects of direct action intended principally to support populations suffering from difficulties or to change economic and social contexts
The living spaces of the first strand develop thanks to a varied collection of practices, which have already been mentioned several times, that, by defining alternative modalities of cultural production and consumption, form the first constitutive component of the alterglobal movement (Cfr. 1). These spaces are sometimes formed by establishing contact networks across which affirmations of individual expression can be communicated. These affirmations are aired through precise actions related to specific issues, such as pollution of the environment by motorised vehicles, which is opposed by the practices of Critical Mass, as previously mentioned (Cfr. 1). These practices were taken up in the United States at the beginning of the 1990th, and have been successfully emulated in other parts of the world by individuals involved in relational networks, whose activities enable them to organise occasional specific forms of action. Indeed, these practices are performed through expressions of individual affirmation relating to the environment, voiced via involvement in initiatives whose members move about in groups on bicycles, but also using other forms of transport such as rollerblades, periodically block motorised traffic from main arteries in urban areas. This type of subjective affirmation is pursued in other contexts by temporarily selecting an area in which to perform alternative forms of cultural production and consumption, as in the initiatives of Reclaim the Street mentioned previously (Cfr. 1, 2). These multi-stranded activities consist mainly of individual modalities of behavior and communication between individuals, who demonstrate alternative cultural practices. These might be characterised by forms of physical expression, modes of communication, the development of languages, clothing, performance, ways of listening to music, all of which signal individual commitment to these practices that simultaneously constitute areas of a living space.
Alternatively, the creation of living spaces within the same strand may result from initiatives developed in specific locations over a period of time. We find these initiatives in Italy in the form of the Centri sociali, as previously mentioned (Cfr. 1, 2). They are formed by radical militants in disused buildings that are occupied in order to transform them into spaces for cultural and political initiatives. Whilst the initiatives of these Centres, that date from the 1970s, have moved away from their original position on the extreme left, they have shifted towards experiments with cultural radicalism without abandoning their political character. At the beginning of the new millennium, most of the over 150 active Centri sociali in Italy were involved in multiple endeavors of this type. Their radical character is evidenced through individual expressions of affirmation and subjective specificity, articulated in the creation and consumption of alternative cultural practices to more dominant trends. These practices allow the assertion of subjectivity through the construction of alternative experiences to more dominant forms, whose influence is felt through a combination of cultural impositions and mechanisms that threaten socioeconomic existence, both for those with few formal qualifications as well as those with university education
Alternative living experiences attempt to gain momentum through the creation of new corporeal and gestural languages, new products in various areas of media and communication, experimental projects in the arts, from visual and musical to theatre and cinema. They also work through alternative modalities of cultural consumption, for example the refusal to recognise intellectual property with products like music that can be listened to and downloaded from the internet.
In activities such as those of the Disobbedienti, developed originally in connection with Centri sociali, these forms of cultural radicalism can be linked to attempts to construct new forms of radicalism, as shown (Cfr. 1). This new radicalism can also be linked to social critique expressed through general actions, such as those related to the issue of the relationship between developed and less developed areas, which assumes a particular importance; but also to attempts to support specific communities and individuals, such as those that seek to address the inadequacies of the Welfare State through activities that help individuals and groups that are excluded, and other activities intended to support the demands of immigrants, denouncing the discrimination and injustice they suffer at work and with accommodation, among other things.
Through initiatives such as these the Centri sociali seek to construct alternative ways of living, in which assertions of subjectivity are pursued through individual modalities of expression but also through attempts to involve other individuals outside the circle of this living environment. These might include, for example, initiatives developed using media resources, either linked to the internal structure of the centres or connected with them in same way, and demonstrations in which other components of the alterglobal movements are involved, that develop actions relating to issues such as threats to work, peace and the relationship between developed and less developed areas.
The living spaces of the second strand are constituted by practices that mark themselves out by their concreteness, and form the second constitutive component of the alternative globalisation movement. These practices are made possible by individual involvement in initiatives that, as previously mentioned (Cfr. 1, 2), aim to privilege the pursuit of alternative cultural conceptions through direct intervention. Individual subjectivity is asserted, not simply through expressive modes of behavior or discourses of alternatives. In fact, individuals seek to assert themselves through founding or becoming involved in initiatives capable of precise intervention, whose impact on economic contexts and social relations can be measured. The importance of such initiatives is therefore not limited to their mere realisation, since they may also significantly impact on current modes of globalisation. Thus subjectivity is asserted by forming or tapping into organisational circuits that are active in fields such as international cooperation and the support of communities in difficulty.
Some of these organisations are NGOs like Eurolad, a network of European NGOs working for cooperative development. Others are groups that engage in economic initiatives on a grand scale, constructing alternative commercial networks, like those in which the fair trade association Botteghe del Mondo operates, in order to exert an impact on economic relation between parts of the world. Others may have a religious basis, like Nigrizia, an organisation linked to the Catholic church, which is very active in denouncing the consequences of stilted developed and intervenes to support populations afflicted by this, particularly in Africa. Further organisations include specialised humanitarian foundations that intervene in contexts of extreme tension such as Emergency (Cfr. 1, 2), which provides health services for afflicted communities, for example in Afghanistan, in Iraq and during military operations.
The living spaces of the second strand and those of the first discussed previously thus constitute contexts for the assertion of subjectivity and communication between subjects who agree with and recognise one another as the instigators of initiatives intended to enable cultural alternatives. Individuals involved in these contexts attempt to assert their subjectivity in terms of who they are and what they do, not only to define their own identity (Melucci 1996), but also to assume control of their own lives, whilst trying to liberate themselves from imposed structures and become autonomous, becoming involved, without losing their personal specificity, in practices of cultural alternatives that tackle economic, social and political issues.
However, these contexts are not exclusive for individual experience that exist largely outside circuits such as the Centri sociali or NGOs. These contexts do not even constitute attempts to realise countercultural experiences that are distinct from social life or to begin the formation of closed communities. Individuals within the living spaces of the first two constitutive components of the alterglobal movements are linked with other, like environmentalists and trade unionists, who are defining initiatives that challenge the political system and intervene in the cultural organisation which determines the structure of the economy and many aspects of social life. In this way, the movement is formed by connecting its first level of intervention, that of living spaces with the second, the institutional level at which decision are made, and with the third, that challenges the control of major cultural trends.
Intervention on a political levelis directed against democratic, institutional mechanisms of decision making at a local, national or regional level, such as the European Union. In these contexts alternative globalisation campaigners seek to obtain favorable decisions for their initiatives and, at the same time to enlarge the boundaries of democracy. In contract, in countries where the closed institutional system exposes individual and collective initiatives to repression by political power, the movement has difficulty in developing, as happens in China, North Africa or the Middle East.
However whenever and wherever the movement manages to develop initiatives, these are not limited to political intervention at a local, national and regional level. Indeed, the movement is formed through initiatives with a wide resonance that seek to intervene in decisive contexts of global importance. Some of these initiatives seek greater democratisation in decisional contexts of global importance, in order to make them become real, institutional sites of meetings between contrasting interests and cultural conceptions, as in Cancun in 2003 at the WTO summit. At other times these interventions seek to redefine democratisation and to reinforce the political importance of global institutions, beginning with the UN. It is from these institutions that peaceful movements for alternative globalisation—such as that which opposed the war in Iraq—seek renewed efforts in the definition of the rules of international relations and the control of their application, that would impose observance of these on all governments, including those of the most powerful countries, in order to respect human rights, and the improvement and increase of democracy.
For a social movement, intervention on a political level constitutes a decisive step, as is underlined above all by scholars who identify the rational and instrumental facets of action, distinguishing their interpretations from irrational responses (Tilly 1978). However, the alterglobal movement does not only have political issues in its signs. Although important, its interventions in politics are part of a culturally defined action, whose members seek, as previously mentioned, to assert their subjectivity by pursuing alternatives to dominant social norms and cultural perspectives. Therefore, for this movement, access to the political system in order to increase democratisation signifies mainly a desire to emphasise the importance of issues raised by campaigners seeking to assert their subjectivity in this arena. Increasing democratisation also means creating a more favourable environment for the development of living spaces and for the realisation of interventions intended to forge alternatives to current modes of globalisation. This is a complex project through which the movement establishes the third and highest level of its construction, the systemic level, in which aspects of alternative globalistion initiatives that seek alternatives to the dominant culture are based, and which act upon sectors of social life such as the production and dissemination of information, the allocation of financial resources, physical expression and behavior. This level in itself informs the context for the development of initiatives that, through the pursuit of alternative cultural perspectives, tackle questions connects to world vision, social relationships, economic frameworks and political relationships, by forging living spaces and through interventions at institutional level.
Indeed, the pursuit of cultural alternatives implies an intervention of relevant systemic importance even when it occurs at the level of individual involvement in the construction of living spaces. Modes of behavior and physical expression, as is the case in Italy in Centri sociali or Direct Action in Britain, constitute attempts to respond immediately to the spread of dominant cultural imposition of systemic importance, through assertions of subjectivity in the form of resistance and the practice of alternatives. With the experience of members of NGOs involved in direct interventions in international cooperation, these attempts too seek the affirmation of subjectivity through their intervention. In Chiapas we see attempts at resistance defined through assertions of subjectivity by the indigenous populations, pursued as an alternative to the spread of cultural impositions and to the workings of financial capital of systemic importance.
In establishing these alternative practices within living spaces, actions of alternative globalisation, highlight the importance of resistance and the assertions of subjectivity in the face of the increase of dominant norms and, at the same time, the importance for the individual of relating to others, while maintaining personal specificity, with whom to act as a group in order to live in an alternative manner. This implies a direct interaction with dominant norms through the creation of alternative codes to those that are broadly imposed (Melucci 1996).
However, living spaces define an action whose fragmentary nature is only partially reconsolidated through the communication circuits and communication networks between different individuals. Through these circuits, individuals, organsiation and components of the movement seek to define alternatives to current forms of globalisation. In this way campaigners succeed in addressing dominant norms in the context of living spaces, but not in constructing decisive interaction with those who control not the spread of dominant norms but the upper levels of the frameworks of social life which relate to the production and dissemination of information, the imposition of cultural models and the allocation of financial resources. Nor is this distance overcome through institutional access or symbolic mediatic confrontations between demonstrators and leading actors during instances of alternative globalisation initiatives developed during meetings such as the G8 in Genoa, or the IMF, when alternative globalisation initiatives, as occurs within the living spaces, intervene by promoting cultural alternatives not only of cultural, but also of economic, political and social importance, at a systemic level.
All this does not imply the forging of an action capable of opposing factors controlling social life at all three levels on which the movement is constructed. Indeed, the production of codes and culturally alternative practices at the level of living spaces, manages to filter through to institutional level, but without overcoming the distance at a systemic level between actors and organisations to whom alternative globalisation campaigners attribute control of the cultural and economic frameworks of current modes of globalisation. Through its action, the movement therefore produces mainly cultural signifiers, constructing living spacesand developing initiatives for assertions of subjectivity that can take place at an institutional level. By intervening at the level of living spaces and institutions, the movement also tackles issues of systemic importance, even without overcoming the distance that separates it from leading actors to whom it attributes control of the main frameworks of current forms of globalisation.

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