Perspectives on the transnational articulation of social movements in international relations theory.

This paper aims to present some aspects of the theoretical debate about the political action of social movements beyond the national borders in order to demonstrate that they reflect a challenge to some assumptions of the IR discipline. To what extent transnational articulations of social movements impose questions on the modern international system based on the sovereign nation-state? On one hand, some actions beyond borders remains based on the national bond, and this movement beyond borders is related to the mobilization of international structures of political opportunity that have emerged within international organizations, conferences and summits in recent decades. On the other hand, another kind of articulations may occur based on identity bonds other than the nation, challenging the established (spatial, political, epistemological) borders. This paper intends to bring a brief review of the literature about the transnational dimension of social movements' action, as part of an ongoing research about the participation of civil society actors in mechanism of regional integration processes in South America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]