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Asia is the world's largest continent, encompassing a large number of countries with a long history and a vibrant, rich culture. Countries are marked by very diverse societies in terms of e.g. religion, ethnicity and language, but also by different political systems and how thesse evolved. Consequently, the configuration of civil society, its dynamics, the way civil society organisations relate to their constituencies and design strategies, and how they are embedded in their social-political environment, varies from country to country.
The Knowledge Programme on Promoting Pluralism and the Knowledge Programme on West Asia are the two programmes with activities in this continent. Focal countries for Promoting Pluralism are Indonesia in South-East Asia, and India in South Asia. Starting from the different contexts in these countries, Hivos and its (academic) partners seek to generate knowledge on core issues related to pluralism and fundamentalism. The programme on West Asia concentrates on civil society dynamics in Syria and Iran and how civil society organisations contribute to opening up democracies.
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KP small producer agency goes to Asia
After visiting Latin America and Africa, the KP on small producer agency is now going to identify Asian candidates for its global Learning Network (LN). A Round Table with potential LN candidates from India, Indonesia and other countries is organized by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Bangalore on February 4. Moreover, through the regional Hivos office, a separate consultation meeting with Hivos partners is organized in Hyderabad on February 1. One specific objective of this meet...
Complex Dynamics Civil-Political Societies and Democratization Processes
07/01/2010 Is there a relationship between civil society and political society in democratisation processes? How do these societies influence each other? What are the potential interrelated (explanatory) variables of both societies which could improve or impede democratization? To find out more about these topics, read the interesting research paper of Stephan de Vries titled: The Downfall of Simplicity and the ‘Complex’ Notion (s) of Democratization: A Revision of the Relation between Political Societ...Working Paper: Moth or Flame, the Sunni Sphere and Regime Durability in Syria
02/12/2009 This working paper is written by Teije Hidde Donker and based on the forthcoming academic article “Enduring Ambiguity. The Civil Dynamics of Authoritarian Upgrading in Sunni Syria” Teije Hidde Donker is currently a PhD student at the European University Institute in Florence. During the first half of 2009 he conducted field research in Syria for the Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia
Working Paper: Moth or Flame, the Sunni Sphere and Regime Durability in Syria
02/12/2009 This working paper is written by Teije Hidde Donker and based on the forthcoming academic article “Enduring Ambiguity. The Civil Dynamics of Authoritarian Upgrading in Sunni Syria” Teije Hidde Donker is currently a PhD student at the European University Institute in Florence. During the first half of 2009 he conducted field research in Syria for the Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia
Newsletter, October 2009, Issue 1
02/12/2009 We are pleased to present to you the first quarterly newsletter from the Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia, which celebrated its first anniversary. Civil Society Activism under Authoritarian Rule
18/11/2009 On the 13th of November, 2009, Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia organised a seminar on the Moroccan civil society for the political scientist and researcher Dr. Francesco Cavatorta. Dr. Cavatorta is attached to School of Law and Government, Dublin State University and Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia. The presentation and conclusions provided a platform for researchers and civil society actors to involve in a lively and critical debate about the role of Moroccan c...
Blogging Toward Utopia
The growth of Internet usage in the Middle East and North Africa is among the world’s fastest: between 2000 and 2007 usage increased almost 500 percent, more than twice the rate of increase in the rest of the world. Just as elsewhere, this has led to Middle Eastern cyber-optimism - among the users of digital tools and Internet watchers alike. It is a widely-held hope that the coming of Web 2.0 can move closed societies towarddemocratic values and governance.New Media in Syria
What is the role of the new media in this context of bought criticism? Hopes that increased globalization and advanced media technology bring about political liberalization have all but vanished. We now know that authoritarian regimes are more resilient and that economic liberalization and technological modernization are not necessarily coupled with democratic reform. The new media, especially the Internet, blogs and Twitter, have indeed created a counter public, a space where state hegemony...Newsletter Civil Society in West Asia-Issue 1
28/10/2009 We are pleased to present to you the first quarterly newsletter from the Knowledge Programme Civil Society in West Asia, which celebrated its first anniversary this month.Working Paper: Moth or Flame, The Sunni Sphere and Regime Durability in Syria
28/10/2009 This paper investigates relations between the Syrian regime and the Sunni sphere by providing a brief policy oriented analysis of regime - sphere relations and their role in the resilience of the Syrian authoritarian regime. It adds to the emerging appreciation amongst scholars and practitioners in the field of civil society that civil activism does not necessarily have a positive impact on processes of democratization and/or socio-political liberalization. It does this by questioning the ex...
