Pamela E. Oliver
Professor of Sociology

Soc 626 Case Study of Movement Tactics, Repression, News Coverage, Political Context: The Battle of Seattle

  1. Video: “This is What Democracy Looks Like” compiles a narrative of the “Battle of Seattle” from footage shot by protesters. Running time 72 minutes. We watched this in class November 13.
  2. Discussion of video versus news coverage. November 15. Web site includes a sample of news coverage from the time as well as articles about the larger issues.
  3. * Smith, Jackie. (2001). Globalizing Resistance: The Battle of Seattle and the Future of Social Movements. Mobilization 6(1): 1-19. Local copy. This study examines the participants, activities, & political context of the “Battle of Seattle.” It explores the transitional activist linkages & suggests that a division of labor was presented whereby groups with local & national ties took on mobilization roles while groups with routinized transnational ties provided information & frames for the struggle.
  4. * Patrick Gillham & Gary Marx, “Complexity and Irony in Policing and Protesting: The World Trade Organization in Seattle.” Social Justice, Summer 2000, 27, 2 p. 212. Local PDF copy. More of a “birds’ eye” view of police & protester decision-making and the unintended consequences of everyone’s actions.
  5. * Newsweek, December 13, 1999,, U.S. Edition, NATIONAL AFFAIRS; Pg. 30, 1769
    words, The Siege of Seattle, By Kenneth Klee; With Patricia King and Katrina Woznicki. A mainstream news magazine’s account. Text file.
  6. Other examples of news coverage of the event.
    1. William Solomon. “More form than substance: Press coverage of the WTO protests in Seattle.” Monthly Review May 2000; 52, 1. p. 12. Critiques news coverage in Los Angeles Times and New York Times. Local PDF copy.
    2. JD Charlton. “Talking Seattle!” Radical Society [Socialist Review] 2001, 28, 3/4. p 183. Local PDF copy. A descriptive summary of what happened at the protest and why people were there.
    3. Walden Bello. “Lilliputians Rising — 2000: The Year of Global Protest Agasint Corporate Globalization.” Multinational Monitor Jan/Feb 2001; 22, 1/2. Local PDF Copy A summary of issues in the year after Seattle. BIG FILE with pictures.
    4. In These Times, January 10, 2000, SPECIAL REPORT; Pg. 14, 2578 words, AFTER SEATTLE, BY DAVID MOBERG. A commentary on the significance of the event. Text File.
    5. In These Times, January 10, 2000, SPECIAL REPORT; Pg. 18, 940 words, ANARCHY IN THE USA, BY DAVID GRAEBER; Challenges assumptions that anarchists are “violent.” Text file.
    6. Newsweek, December 13, 1999,, U.S. Edition, NATIONAL AFFAIRS; Pg. 36, 1691
      words, The New Radicals, By Michael Elliott; With Keith Naughton in Detroit, John McCormick and Peter Annin in Chicago, Thomas Hayden in New York, Kenneth Klee and Patricia King in Seattle, and Debra Gwartney in Eugene. Mainstream news magazine’s coverage of the activists. text file
    7. Newsweek International, November 22, 1999, 2241 words, BUSINESS: ATTACKING FREE TRADE: WHY ARE SO MANY GREENS AND WORKERS’ RIGHTS ACTIVISTS HEADING FOR SEATTLE? pre-protest coverage. text file
    8. Newsweek, December 6, 1999,, Atlantic Edition, WORLD VIEW; Pg. 4, 910 words, Whose Cause Is It, Anyway?, By Pranay Gupte; Gupte is editor and publisher of The Earth Times. A pre-protest editorial arguing that NGOs are disconnected from their constituencies. text file
    9. The Economist, December 04, 1999, , U.S. Edition, 1308 words, The new trade war, seattle. Short news article, identifies mixture of types of protesters and issues. text file
  7. Background on the WTO
    1. World Trade Organization web site. This public-oriented site describes the structure of the WTO, contains rebuttals to “myths” about the WTO, describes current issues, etc. including defenses of its structure & the value of free trade. http://www.wto.org/index.htm
    2. Two anti-WTO sites with lots of information:
      1. Global Exchange, an NGO I don’t know much about, seems fairly commercial & professionalized but encouraging anti-WTO activism, with clear layouts and information you can download
      2.  Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy which describes itself as supporting family farms, rural communities and ecosystems. Its home page lists a number of different projects on agriculture & the environment