Chapter 10: Civil Societies

What is a CIVIL SOCIETY?

CIVIL SOCIETY:

The framework within which individuals without political authority live their lives

-> purely analytical

-> based on day-to-day economic, familial, and religious relationships

-> Cannot exist without political authority and vice versa

What is the LIBERAL VIEW on civil societies?

LIBERAL VIEW ON CIVIL SOCIETIES:

A free and autonomous sphere protected from the State and the market

-> Tocqueville: Civil society as a modern school of democracy where people learn CIVIC VIRTUES such as tolerance and being able to challenge the state

-> Must revolve around human and labour rights and environmental protection

What is the MARXIST VIEW on civil societies?

MARXIST VIEW ON CIVIL SOCIETIES:

An extension of the state apparatus that provides legitimacy to the status-quo, thus helping to reproduce it (Gramsci)

-> Includes all social institutions (education, religion, culture, law etc.)

What is the AUTHORITARIAN VIEW of civil societies?

AUTHORITARIAN VIEW ON CIVIL SOCIETIES:

Civil society is a CHALLENGE to state authority as opposed to an extension or legitimiser of it

-> Often comes under scrutiny such as surveillance and prosecution, limiting free speech

What are th DISADVANTAGES of NGOs?

CONS OF NGOs:

1) (In developing countries) relieves the state from its obligation of providing political goods

2) Many actors makes coordination difficult

3) Does not necessarily lead to development

4) People may use it as a launchpad into a political career

5) May be created only to receive foreign funds for illicit reasons

What are INTEREST GROUPS?

INTEREST GROUPS:

An organized group of individuals or organizations that seeks to influence governmental policies or decisions without seeking election to a public office

-> e.g., Unions, Welfare Associations, Business

PROS:

1) Help foster political participation

2) Help input new ideas into the political process

3) Key to pluralism which is necessary in liberal democracies

CONS:

1) Some interests are privileged at the expense of others (or even the public as a whole)

What are the FEATURES OF INTEREST GROUPS?

FEATURES OF INTEREST GROUPS:

1) Formalised and hierarchical structure

2) Pressures political power

3) Sectorial discourse

4) Institutional (or non-conventional) intervention

5) Private interests

6) Expert knowledge

What is CORPORATISM and its types?

CORPORATISM:

The control of a state or organization by large interest groups as a key to democratic negotiation mediated by the government

1) SOCIETAL (NEO) CORPORATISM: Emerges from societal pressure (e.g., Unions)

2) STATE CORPORATISM: The state decides its preferred partners as a way to dominate society

What is INFRAPOLITICS?

INFRAPOLITICS:

"The subtle ways in which the powerless subvert or undermine the authority of the powerful"

-> Coined by James C. Scott, it describes a situation in which some interest groups within civil society are not able to organise politically

-> In repressed populations, it manifests as covert resistance (e.g., desertion, poaching, squatting, evasion, dissident subcultures, folk heroes)

What are SUBALTERN STUDIES?

SUBALTERN STUDIES:

The study of the history and experiences of marginalised groups who have been excluded from dominant structures (e.g., Gypsies)

AIMS:

1) Give a voice to the underprivileged

2) Challenge the path to western modernity

What is the relationship between POLITICS and MEDIA?

POLITICS AND MEDIA:

The media structures public political opinion through agenda-setting and framing

- AGENDA SETTING: When political actors, media, or institutions decide which issues are considered important and thus exposed to the public

- FRAMING: Selecting and emphasising only some aspects of a real situation while downplaying or omitting others in order to shape how the issue is perceived (YISRAEL)

What are SCHUDSON'S 7 KEY FUNCTIONS of media in democracies?

SCHUDSON'S 7 FUNCTIONS:

1) Media providing the full INFORMATION

2) Media INVESTIGATING concentrated sources of power

3) ANALYSIS: Interpreting news to help people understand complex situations

4) SOCIAL EMPATHY: providing perspectives and having an open mind

5) PUBLIC FORUM for dialogue among citizens

6) MOBILIZATION: Media advocating for political programs/ perspectives

7) PUBLICISING REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY: The notion that the media should cover marginalised perspectives and institutions

What are SMART MOBS?

SMART MOBS:

Technologically sophisticated groups that use their skills to organize group protests that auhtorities find difficult to prevent

What are CYBERCASCADES?

CYBERCASCADES:

When large numbers of troglodites end up believing anything just because someone they like believes it