UCLG·CGLU · www.uclg.org
Movement “The ultimate most holy form of theory is action.” N.KAZANTZAKIS
There is no single definition of what constitues a social movement, in our case, a local, municipal or urban social movement. Municipal or urban social movements can be defined as “social praxis directed towards creating specific structural changes or effects (whether successful or not) in the existing system, or in the existing balance of powers”. The important points here are: The ability to embody an alternative way of thinking or approach through which to understand the world; the taking of an autonomous stand against the narrow positions of existing socio-political discourses;and the mobilization of people and institutions to defend, and realize, in a collective fashion, a more just and humane new world. History teaches us that building a genuine international movement has never been an easy task. What is required for such a global collective initiative may be summarized as follows: • the existence of shared understandings; • connective frameworks; • solid socio-political networks; • action orientation; • culturally echoing forms; • a process of testing and questioning; • building relationships of mutual support, and coalitions of alternative policy making; • supporting the struggle for autonomous local self-government and decentralization; • giving spatial and tangible dimensions to social movements; • bridging the gap between movements of workplace and non-work life, or everyday life.
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1913 2013