THE WORLD SOCIAL FORUM (WSF) is an international gathering of diverse social movements, activists, campaigners and non-governmental organisations whose shared enemy is neoliberal globalisation.

It attempts to create practical alternatives to an economic system that has repeatedly proven itself incompatible with sustainability and social justice and does not shy away from highly politicised conclusions.

A direct antidote to the World Economic Forum’s shindig in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, it meets annually but its members are on the front line in the daily struggle against capitalism, colonialism and patriarchy.

This book traces its rise to mainstream prominence after its first meeting in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2001. It attracted over 10,000 participants, drawn to the forum’s mission to place people firmly before profit in its search for a more just, sustainable and democratic world.

Instead of being dazzled by the promised land of globalisation, the WSF has established a resolute opposition to a system that produces a society at the service of multinational corporations and governments or institutions working for them.

As the authors explain, the forum’s alternative to globalisation is fundamentally based upon a co-operative internationalism formed at grassroots level, backed up by a radical form of participatory democracy which responds to the needs of the majority.

Unlike those whose activism starts and finishes with elections, the WSF understands that a true democracy demands a revolutionary change in the way we do economics, ethics and politics. Unlike the Labour Party leadership, it also recognises the value of trade unions and sees socialism as offering a real hope for a better future.

Originally published in 2003, this book offers an exhaustive analysis and critical overview of the forum’s initial gatherings in successfully challenging the mainstream story of neoliberalism.

Anyone fighting the evils of TTIP, corporate power’s corrupting influence on governments, austerity, GMOs, militarism and all forms of discrimination will find a willing ally in the WSF, as this book testifies.

Review by Jamie Johnson