The month of February isspecial. It is “special” in that the weather is known to be completelyhaphazard, for one; only look at events in North America, where a vast tract ofland is covered under piles of snow, or at Australia, which only just got pastcyclone Yasi, branded “potentially the most catastrophic storm in the region”bymeteorologists.

But for someone whoworks in Human sciences, February 2011 is also “special” because of the eventthat is to take place in the course of the month. That being the Forum SocialMundial, or World Social Forum, which poses itself as an alternative to theWorld Economic Forum, which was most recently held in Davoos at the end ofJanuary.

The World Social Forumis “an open meeting place where social movements, networks, NGOs and othercivil society organizations opposed to neo-liberalism and a world dominated bycapital or by any form of imperialism come together to pursue their thinking,to debate ideas democratically, for formulate proposals, share theirexperiences freely and network for effective action” . In short, from theperspective of the WSF, the bottom line is not a sufficient criterion as towhether or not the world is doing well: social and shared concerns must beeffectively marketed to counterparts, creative solutions must be brainstormedby a number of committed individuals working together.

In short, the goals ofthe World Social Forum echo the objects and purposes of the ECo-C, only they do so at the scaleof a global society rather than in business. There is of course an additionalfact: to the ECo-C, success in theseendeavours is a goal in itself. It is a tool, whereas the WSF’s participantshave ends, instead.

The WSF will take placein Dakar , fromFebruary 6^th to 11^th.