Globalization and social movements in the last decade: De-coupling internationalization and institutionalization?

While social movement and global civil society analysts have strongly associated social movements internationalization with their institutionalization (e.g. Keck & Sikkink, 1998; Tilly 2004), a new path towards an internationalization with less institutionalization and centred on more grassroots actors has emerged in the first decade of the 21^st century. Drawing on a study of the World Social Forums, the US Social Forum and the rise of some international networks of grassroots actors, this paper will show that, while a pattern of institutionalisation exists within these forums and networks, it has been countered by the political culture of WSF activists; a culture that favours horizontality, internal democracy and the active participation of grassroots actors.  The US Social Forum offers another interesting case study, as it has clearly rejected the participation of the most institutional part of US civil society.  After describing some of its feature, the paper will focus on contextual elements that have fostered this form of internalization, its potential and some of its limits.