Abstract
The anti-globalisation has shifted away from a politics that aims to uncover and resist neoliberal ideology to one that bypasses and potentially disrupts habits of thinking about neoliberalism. Focusing on mass gatherings such as the Seattle demonstrations in 1999, several scholars suggest that the anti-globalisation movement has embraced a politics of affect that, while potentially increasing the collective's capacity for action, also risks strengthening existing divisions and creating sad passions. In response to these concerns, this article develops an account of the affective politics the World Social Forum has moved to. Drawing on my experiences at the 2005 World Social Forum in Porto Alegre I describe the Forum as a space in which social movements from around the globe testify to their experiences of struggle. I employ Freireian pedagogical techniques and theories of brain-body connections to develop an account of the way in which testimony and dialogue generate new thinking from which a collective language can emerge. I suggest that the discourse that arises can lead to new ways of being.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 111-118 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Emotion, Space and Society |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2010 |