The end of classical colonialism did not result in complete freedom for the peoples of the third world. New forms of Western domination emerged in many post- colonial states which became dependent on the first world, for their very existence. This led to the emergence of people's movements which serve to articulate the aspirations of the disadvantaged and their resistance to various forms of oppression and domination. This volume of original essays articulates the issues raised by these social movements as a democratic assertion of people's rights. The distinguished contributors challenge the dominant political theory of capitalist globalisation and reaffirm some of the primary values of the anti-colonial struggle. Rather than ES ES locating rights in the individualist tradition of Western liberalism, they are seen as an affirmation of the political conditions of human existence involving a struggle against class exploitation and social oppression. The case studies from Asia and Africa of both successful and unsuccessful movements illustrate the nature of the dilemmas faced by them while problematising the dichotomy between class politics and social movements. In the process, the contributors not only critique the dominant Western nations of rights, nationhood, civil society and citizenship but present original and alternative formulation