Networked Politics: Rethinking Political Organisation in an Age of Movements and Networks

Rome: XL edizioni

72 Pages Posted: 4 Oct 2016 Last revised: 5 Oct 2016

See all articles by Mayo Fuster Morell

Mayo Fuster Morell

Open University of Catalunya - IN3; Harvard University - Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society

Marco Berlinguer

Autonomous University of Barcelona

Hilary Wainwright

Transnational Institute

Date Written: 2007

Abstract

The world just now is a disturbing place for anyone who believes in peace, social justice, common goods, and ecological sanity. On the one hand, the traditional institutions of democratic control are exhausted; weakened, if not destroyed, by an unconstrained global market and superpower military ambition. On the other hand, the movements of mass protest, so visible on the eve of the invasion of Iraq that they were dubbed the “second superpower”, no longer provide the clear public focus that they once did.

We believe, however, that diverse forms of resistance hold enormous potential for creating new forms of democracy and new institutions for social change. This social and cultural creativity often takes place beneath the media radar but it can sometimes surface unpredictably to disturb the complacent consensus. Our shared belief in the existence of this only partially understood, including self-understood, potential for social transformation has led us to explore the innovations in political organisation that are underway and the tools and insights that could take them further.

We also share a curiosity in the transformative behaviour of people who frequently express common values – for example, as “ethical consumers”, vegetarians, file sharers, or participants in the social economy – but are not involved in movement or political networks.

Suggested Citation

Fuster Morell, Mayo and Berlinguer, Marco and Wainwright, Hilary, Networked Politics: Rethinking Political Organisation in an Age of Movements and Networks (2007). Rome: XL edizioni , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2843528 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2843528

Mayo Fuster Morell (Contact Author)

Open University of Catalunya - IN3 ( email )

Parc Mediterrani de la Tecnologia (Edifici B3)
Barcelona, CA Barcelona 08860
Spain
+34 93 450 52 00 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.uoc.edu/portal/en/in3/recerca/grups/digital_commons

Harvard University - Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society ( email )

Harvard Law School
23 Everett, 2nd Floor
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

HOME PAGE: http://https://cyber.harvard.edu/people/mfustermorell

Marco Berlinguer

Autonomous University of Barcelona ( email )

Plaça Cívica
Cerdañola del Valles
Barcelona, Barcelona 08193
Spain

Hilary Wainwright

Transnational Institute

United States

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