UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
College of Human Sciences
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DVA3701: Development Theory
Assignment 5 — Semester 1, 2026
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
DVA3701
Module Code:
Development Theory
Module Name:
Anti-Corporate Globalisation as a
Essay Topic:
Solution to the Capitalist Order
Assignment 5
Assignment Number:
17 April 2026
Due Date:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements
for Development Theory (DVA3701) — UNISA 2026
, UNISA | DVA3701 Anti-Corporate Globalisation – Assignment 5
Introduction
Since the late 1990s, a loose but energetic constellation of social movements, trade unions,
environmental organisations, and community groups has challenged the terms of corporate-
led globalisation, insisting that another world is possible. This anti-corporate globalisation
movement, sometimes called the global justice movement or the alter-globalisation move-
ment, has staged some of the most visible acts of collective protest in recent history: the
“Battle of Seattle” in 1999, the World Social Forums in Porto Alegre, the Genoa G8 protests of
2001, and countless local mobilisations across the global South against privatisation, debt,
and structural adjustment. The question this essay addresses is whether these initiatives
amount to a viable solution to the challenges posed by the current capitalist order, or whether
their limitations constrain them to a politics of resistance without transformation.
The essay proceeds in two parts. Part one provides a historical overview of the movement
and outlines its principal arguments and demands, drawing on Perera (2003), Cherry (2013),
and Satgar (2011). Part two critically assesses whether the challenges of the global capital-
ist order, particularly for countries and communities in the global South, can genuinely be
resolved through anti-corporate initiatives, taking South Africa as a sustained practical exam-
ple.
Page 2 of 14
College of Human Sciences
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
DVA3701: Development Theory
Assignment 5 — Semester 1, 2026
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
DVA3701
Module Code:
Development Theory
Module Name:
Anti-Corporate Globalisation as a
Essay Topic:
Solution to the Capitalist Order
Assignment 5
Assignment Number:
17 April 2026
Due Date:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements
for Development Theory (DVA3701) — UNISA 2026
, UNISA | DVA3701 Anti-Corporate Globalisation – Assignment 5
Introduction
Since the late 1990s, a loose but energetic constellation of social movements, trade unions,
environmental organisations, and community groups has challenged the terms of corporate-
led globalisation, insisting that another world is possible. This anti-corporate globalisation
movement, sometimes called the global justice movement or the alter-globalisation move-
ment, has staged some of the most visible acts of collective protest in recent history: the
“Battle of Seattle” in 1999, the World Social Forums in Porto Alegre, the Genoa G8 protests of
2001, and countless local mobilisations across the global South against privatisation, debt,
and structural adjustment. The question this essay addresses is whether these initiatives
amount to a viable solution to the challenges posed by the current capitalist order, or whether
their limitations constrain them to a politics of resistance without transformation.
The essay proceeds in two parts. Part one provides a historical overview of the movement
and outlines its principal arguments and demands, drawing on Perera (2003), Cherry (2013),
and Satgar (2011). Part two critically assesses whether the challenges of the global capital-
ist order, particularly for countries and communities in the global South, can genuinely be
resolved through anti-corporate initiatives, taking South Africa as a sustained practical exam-
ple.
Page 2 of 14
