Civil Society

1
Civil Society

• Introductions

2
What is civil society?

• a network of individual, voluntary organizations.
  
• Civil society, in general definitions, is
  believed to provide a counterweight to the power
  of the state.
• voluntary organizations vs primordial
  organizations
• Early definitions a sphere of social activity
  intended to protect property rights
• Its function to keep the state from interfering
  with the interests of the bourgeoisie
• Current definitions a realm of democratic social
  interaction
• Almost all nonviolent associational activity
  between individuals and the state.
• Function to enable all citizens to ensure state
  accountability

3
Who is part of civil society?

• Media
• trade unions
• professional associations of all kinds
• business associations
• human rights organizations
• churches, mosques, synagogues, other religious
  orgs.
• charities
• Book clubs
• Soccer leagues, sport orgs
• Animal rights associations
• Womens orgs

4
A strong civil society exists when

• citizens relate voluntarily to each other on the
  basis of shared interests that do not exclusively
  replicate primordial ties
• the state abides by certain rules in dealing with
  societal actors, recognizing in particular their
  autonomy
• 3. state and society accept and protect the
  exercise of the right to dissent by citizens,
  provided that dissenting minorities do not use
  force

5
Why do political scientists care about civil
society?

• Believed to be critical part of democracy and
  democratization.
• Believed to check the power of the state, and to
  provide a set of norms for democratic behavior.
• Promotes institutional pluralism that prevents
  the establishment of a monopoly of power and
  truth (Gellner).

6
Civil Society in the Middle East main
perspectives

• Perspective 1- civil society is absent in the
  Middle East, or largely ineffective
• Islam, tribalism (primordialism),
  authoritarianism all seen as impediments to the
  development of civil society
• Perspective 2- emerging and even vibrant
• Perspective 3- sparse but nonetheless important

7
Our questions

• 1 If we confine our discussions to traditional
  western conceptions of civil society, then what
  can we say about civil society in various Middle
  Eastern countries?
• 2 Should we expand our definitions of civil
  society? Should we include Islamist organizations
  or not? Should we look at informal networks and
  consider them part of civil society? Why or why
  not? What advantages would we gain from expanding
  our definitions, and what disadvantages would
  there be?