ABSTRACT
Much of the research on participation in social movements focuses on involvement in protests and social movement organizations, rather than on gatherings where the goals, values, and strategies of social movements are discussed (e.g., see Dauphinais et al. 1992; Scaminaci and Dunlap 1968; McAdam 1999; Morrison 1998; Barkan 2004; Buttel and Flinn 1974; Lee and Norris 2000; Norris 2002; Brady et al. 1995, 1996). In particular, there has not been sufficient academic research on the social and political characteristics of the hundreds of thousands of people around the world who have attended Social Forum meetings.
