A social forum is an open meeting place for civil society organizations and individuals opposed to neoliberalism and what its participants regard as the domination of the world by capital and imperialism.
[1] The first social forum was the World Social Forum (WSF) held in January 2001 in Porto Alegre.
While the WSF regards the WEF as a meeting of the political and economic elite of the world, the WSF gathers social forces and aims to promotes democratization and social justice.
After the first WSF, the social forum idea was replicated across the world in various transnational, national, and local social forums.
[2] The diversity of participants in the social forums has reflected the diversity of the Global Justice Movement (or Anti-Globalization Movement).