French involvement in the global justice movement: From the European social forums to the world social forum in Dakar (2003–2011)

This article aims to understand the evolution of the global justice movement (GJM) over a 9-year period (2003–2011). It does by adopting a ‘view from below’, using data gathered by individual surveys during rallies (INSURA) to analyse the profiles of French participants at three social forums – the second and fourth European Social Forums (ESF – Paris, 2003 and Athens, 2006) and the 2011 World Social Forum in Dakar. The article contributes to the debate on the global evolution of the GJM by showing how the profile of these participants evolved and demonstrates that there has been a trend towards elitism, as shown by increases in both high-status employment and cultural capital (higher educational achievements, propensity for cosmopolitanism) of French participants. It also shows that the multi-organisational field underwent profound changes over this period, moving away from the initial protest organisations to organisations focused on international solidarity. This shift led to highly professional activism and action increasingly focused on advocacy.