The Exemplary in Transnational Social Movements: The Legacies of the Alterglobalization Movement

Revolutionary theorists have pointed to the “exemplary” in revolutions as the main aspect explaining the power of these phenomena to shape the international system. As a result of their internationalist commitment and their capacity to set revolutionary models, revolutions have a long-term impact not anticipated by even the revolutionaries themselves. Even though they might be overthrown or socialized, the ideas and the internationalist practice exercised by revolutionary movements continue affecting subsequent dynamics of contestation and thus defining world politics. In this article, I argue that the impact of Transnational Social Movements (TSM) can be analyzed in this light. To the extent that they aim to transform the international order, TSMs’ interaction with the international might be deeper than is normally assumed. In order to illustrate this, the article focuses on the Alterglobalization Movement (AGM) as a case study. This approach allows an assessment of the potential of the AGM to shape international politics beyond more immediate victories at the beginning of the millennium.