The Where and Who of the Alter Globalization Movement.

The World Social Forum (WSF) is a transnational coalition that brings together social movements, NGOs, transnational networks and social associations with the purpose of seeking out alternatives to hegemonic globalization processes. Given the diversity of participants, there are a large number of positions and proposals that are often similar, but at times divergent. Since 2001, when the first version of the WSF was held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, this has become an important object of study from different disciplines in the social sciences. The majority of the existing literature has focused on the WSF's organizational structure, financial sources and its implications for global governance. However, it is unclear who the people involved in the WSF are and where They come from, both in geographic and ideological terms. The major objective of this paper is to map the movements and organizations at the WSF. With this goal in mind, the paper identifies the main actors, grievances and goals of these groups and the consequences of the actions within the Forum between 2001 and 2008. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]