The evolution of transnational activism from the 1970s

With the phenomenon of globalization in the background, this chapter focuses on one specific type of new global actor, transnational activists. Accordingly, the chapter examines the contextual conditions and the historical emergence of civil society organizations (CSOs) acting transnationally. In addition, it also critically surveys the main theoretical interpretations of such a phenomenon. This sets the stage for the next chapter that will instead concentrate on the political agency of transnational activism by digging into its specific features.