Protests at summit meetings have inspired intense debate over the nature and significance of the 'anti-globalization' movement. However, the European dimension of this movement is still largely unknown. In this insightful book Andy Mathers addresses this deficit through a discussion of events that have marked the birth of a new European social movement. Offering a critical engagement with key thinkers such as Pierre Bourdieu, Mathers relates the development of the movement to economic, employment and welfare state restructuring along neoliberal lines. In doing so he challenges received ideas about the nature of contemporary collective action and the character of present day social movements.