Transnational social movements in the age of globalization : the struggle against NAFTA--and beyond

The acceleration of the process of globalization has led to the emergence of a new form of response, the transnational social movement. This type of movement involves the citizens of more than one nation working together to seek social change on a issue common to them. Almost no previous empirical research on transnational social movements exists, with more traditional social movements scholarship focusing on nation-state bound movements. This paper describes the case of one organization involved in a transnational social movement against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The Tennessee Industrial Renewal Network (TIRN) became involved early in this fight, sponsoring worker exchanges between affected workers in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. Members of the organization were deeply affected by their visits to the maquiladora zone in Mexico, making the NAFTA campaign a transnational issue about basic human rights and dignity, and not a national trade issue. This led TIRN to an involvement in both the national and transnational campaigns against NAFTA. While not successful in their campaign against the NAFTA, the members of TIRN continue to be involved in the transnational opposition to the broader processes of neoliberal economic globalization. Future research needs to be done to better determine the characteristics of transnational social movements and to further understand the issues and problems that separate them from the traditional nation-state bound movements.