Thomas Olesen is associate professor, Ph.D. in the Department of Political Science, University of Aarhus, Denmark. His research interests are social movements, media, solidarity and globalization. Recent publications include International Zapatismo: The Construction of Solidarity in the Age of Globalization (London: Zed Books, 2005). He is currently working on two research projects: one on solidarity movements, distant issues and globalization in Denmark in the period from 1945 to 2008, and another on global activism and communication.

Offering new and critical insights on global activism and power, it features case studies on China and Tibet, HIV/AIDS, climate change, child labour, the WTO, women and the UN, the global public sphere, world social forums and global civil society.

1. Introduction: Power and Transnational Activist Framing Thomas Olesen. Critiques and Appraisals 2. Counter-Power in the Global Age: Strategies of Civil Society Movements Ulrich Beck 3. Evading the Challenge: The Limits of Global Activism David Chandler 4. Coordinated Power in Contemporary Leftist Activism Ruth Reitan. The State and the National 5. The Limits of Power and Protest: Civil Society Mobilization against North American Integration Jeffrey Ayres 6. State Power and the Control of Transnational Protests Donatella della Porta and Herbert Reiter 7. China and the Limits of Transnational Human Rights Activism: From Tiananmen Square to the Beijing Olympics Caroline Fleay 8. State-Led Social Boundary Change: Transnational Environmental Activism, 'Eco-Terrorism' and September 11 Shannon Gibson 9. National Origin and Transnational Activism Sarah Stroup. Representation and Discourse 10. The Representational Power of Civil Society Organizations in Global AIDS Governance: Advocating for Children in Global Health Politics Anna Holzscheiter 11. Taming of the Shrew? International Women's NGOs, Institutional Power, and the UN Jutta Joachim 12. Global Justice Movements and the Mass Media: Conceptual Reflections and Empirical Findings Dieter Rucht 13. AID(S) Politics and Power: A Critique of Global Governance Håkan Thörn 14. Conclusion: Transnational Counterpublics and Democracy Thomas Olesen