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This book is an exploration of the new forms of social movementsand protests that are erupting in the world today, from the Arabuprisings to the indignadas movement in Spain, and the Occupy WallStreet movement in the US. While these and similar social movementsdiffer in many important ways, there is one thing they share incommon: they are all interwoven inextricably with the creation ofautonomous communication networks supported by the Internet andwireless communication. In this timely and important book, Manuel Castells theleading scholar of our contemporary networked society examines the social, cultural and political roots of these newsocial movements, studies their innovative forms ofself-organization, assesses the precise role of technology in thedynamics of the movements, suggests the reasons for the supportthey have found in large segments of society, and probes theircapacity to induce political change by influencing people sminds.Based on original fieldwork by the author and his collaboratorsas well as secondary sources, this book provides a path-breakinganalysis of the new forms of social movements, and offers ananalytical template for advancing the debates triggered by themconcerning the new forms of social change and political democracyin the global network society.