Sessions Knowledge debate: Old issues, new actors and unusual suspect

11.15 – 15.45 30th September

After the plenary session the conference will look at the result of the Civil Society Building programme and the Civil Society Building in West Asia programme. We will share our results, experiences and dilemma’s that we have come across on associational ecosystems and citizen’s-centred activism in the plenary session and on governance, citizenship and civic engagement in the parallel sessions.

Plenary session Knowledge debate: Old issues, new actors and unusual suspect: In the area of civil society building, there is an increased tendency to focus on civil society beyond NGOs and also beyond the traditional ‘associational ecosystem’. The panorama of relevant social actors is shifting rather quickly and the relevance seems to shift beyond “organizations” towards more citizen’s-centered activism. We also see a transition from a more actor-based view of civil society building towards a more identity-based view, which offers new opportunities but also is a source of uncertainty for many ‘traditional’ civil society actors. Which tendencies have been spotted by the “Civil Society Building” programme in Latin America and Africa and the “Civil Society in West Asia” programme? Can we speak about the emergence of a new identity-based activism, or are the usual suspects still in charge? What are the implications and how should we deal with this from different perspectives? Contributions by Steven Heydemann (US Institute of Peace), Ria Brouwers (Insititute of Social Studies), Marlies Glasius (University of Amsterdam), Salam Kawakibi (Arab Reform Initiative and University of Amsterdam), Juan Tiney (Indigenous Peasant Organization) and Zaheera Jinnah (Forced Migration Study Centre).

Parallel session 1: When civics go governance – a critical analysis of the role of NGOs in Southern and Eastern Africa: For this session, the Civil Society Building Knowledge programme challenges participants to test and debate some of the emerging insights from research projects in Southern and Eastern Africa, which have explored the, relatively new, role of (Southern) NGOs in governance processes. The findings give cause to fundamental questions about the assumptions lying at the heart of governance interventions by civic organisations, about the way their role has played out in practice, and about the interplay between civic organisations and formal political institutions such as parliament. Has the choice for civil society organisations to involve in governance been appropriate? Has it brought citizens closer to the centres of power and has it served their practical and strategic interests? What can be learned about the potential for NGOs to ‘go governance’ and about choices to make for their future position? Contributions by Ria Brouwers (Institute of Social Studies), Rose Namara, Hermine Engel (Planact) and Remko Berkhout (Hivos).

Parallel session 2: The dynamics of social movements and citizenship: Over the past three years the Hivos-ISS Civil Society Building Knowledge Team has worked closely with a number of key social movements in the Central American region. The purpose was to understand better the dynamics and the role of these movements in local processes of social change, while also taking into account the role of external actors in civil society building. Within this process a participatory and action-oriented research method was used. The session will discuss outcomes of this unique knowledge dialogue with representatives from the anti-TLC movement from Costa Rica, the autonomous women’s movement in Nicaragua that struggled against the prohibition of therapeutic abortion, and the indigenous movement from Guatemala, which is protesting against international mining and energy companies challenging their land and territory. Contributions by Margarita Salas (Cooperativa Sula Batsú, Costa Rica), Leonardo Merino (Researcher-activist), Juanita Jimenez (Feminist activist, MAM Nicaragua), Elvira Cuadra (CINCO), Maria Elena Morales (MAM), José Roberto Morales (CALDH), Zoila Francisca (Community activist), Juan Tiney (CONIC)

Parallel session 3: The upgrading and resilience of authoritarian regimes & international context: During this session, experts will look into practices of upgrading authoritarianism. Authoritarian regimes are not irrational, outdated rulers, doomed to fail. They have been quick learners, adapting their own strategies in manifold ways to changing circumstances. They actively fill the space occupied by civil society, present themselves as the only safeguard for stability and sovereignty, provide now and then some space for hope for more lenient behaviour in the future, and masterfully play a divide and rule strategy. International sanctions against such regimes can hardly topple them, on the contrary: they support the narrative of authoritarian rulers and help to silence opposition. Contributions by Marlies Glasius (UvA), Steven Heydemann (USIP), Reinoud Leenders (UvA) Yulia Poskakukhina (EuropeAid)

Parallel session 4: New / Social Media: With the events surrounding the ‘Twitter revolution’ in Iran last year, attention has shifted towards the meaning of new media in activist networks in authoritarian settings. The Web has become a new space for analysis and researchers are starting to map issue networks of digital activism. In the Middle East and North Africa, broadband connections are growing faster than anywhere else in the world and this development is bringing challenges and opportunities to both governments and activists in the region. Judgments of these developments vary from ‘cyber optimists’ to ‘cyber realists’ and ‘cyber pessimists’. During this session comments will be shared through life twitter by our colleagues from the region. Contributions by Francesco Cavatorta (University of Dublin and University of Amsterdam), Salam Kawakibi (Arab Reform Initiative and University of Amsterdam), Fieke Jansen (Hivos), Maboubeh Abbasgholizadeh (scholar and activist)