Local social forums as a political tool for people experiencing marginality: appropriations at variable scales
We analyze two local social forums – one in Quebec, one in France – that were both set up in marginalized neighbourhoods. Forums, as tools, had been mobilized and used similarly in both societies to give a political voice to those deemed to be marginalized. Nevertheless, the studied forums differ in the way in which the participants contributed to shaping the scope of their collective action. In the case of Quebec, the local scale of the social forum responds primarily to challenges concerning the district level, while in France, those who had initiated the forum had integrated a social/national scale into their local forum. This article seeks to explain this difference with reference to the three following aspects: 1) the notion of marginality; 2) institutional aspirations and targets; 3) a core group of activists occupying a distinct place.