The Transnational Condition: Protest Dynamics in an Entangled Europe

During the last two decades Europe has experienced a rise in transnational contention. Citizens are crossing borders to advance alternative visions of Europe. They spread protest concepts and tactics and explore new ways of organizing dissent. Far from being a recent phenomenon, transnational protest is obviously more salient in a world of international corporations and global political interaction, compounded by electronic communication and cheap travel. The transnational condition permeates all aspects of protest organization and dynamics – from individual biographies to activist networks to cycles of contention. The contributors offer insight into this multifaceted condition by combining rich empirical evidence with reflections on the problems of transnational research.

Simon Teune works at the Social Science Research Center, Berlin. His research interests are social movements, protest and culture. As a fellow of the Hans-Böckler-Stiftung he is preparing a Ph.D. dissertation that focuses on the communication strategies of global justice groups during the anti-G8 protests in Germany 2007. He is co-editor of Nur Clowns und Chaoten?, which explores the media event of the Heiligendamm protests (Campus, 2008).