Media and Civil Society

Ø Definitions

“The space of uncoerced human association and also the set of relational networks – formed for the sake of family, faith, interest, and ideology – that fill this space” (Michael Walzer).

“A complex and dynamic ensemble of legally protected non-governmental institutions that tend to be non-violent, self-organizing… and permanently in tension with each other and with the state institutions that ‘frame,’ constrict and enable their activities” (John Keane).

It is a predominantly Western concept.

Ø Renaissance of the idea of civil society

A renaissance in the use of the concept occurred in the 1980s, due to:

s Economic crises of the state (state socialism; welfare states);

s Democratic revolts against totalitarianism (Central & Eastern Europe, South Africa, Latin America);

s Recomposition of working-class politics (decline of the labor movement).

This renewal first emphasized a resurgence in relation to the nation-state, but in the mid-late 1990s the emphasis has shifted increasingly toward the idea of a global civil society.

Ø Institutions of civil society

Non-state, non-market institutions, primarily including:

s Voluntary Civic Associations

s Religious Institutions

s Social Movements

s Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs)

“The public character of these societal units allows them to justify and act in open pursuit of their collective interests in competition with one another. Strong civil societies are thus synonymous with a high level of ‘institutionalized social pluralism’” (Philip Oxhorn).

Ø Contemporary principles and activities

s Citizen autonomy from state and market institutions

s Means for citizens to exercise influence over these institutions

s Influencing trans-state actors, including:

- States themselves

- Inter-governmental organizations (UN, WTO, NAFTA, NATO, etc.)

- Transnational corporations

- Other NGOs

Ø The role of the media

The mass media (and “new” media) have been the focal point of numerous struggles against the state and for civic autonomy.

Increasingly, the emphasis of these struggles has shifted to challenges to market concentration of privately owned media.

The Internet has become a vital tool of civil society organizations.

Ø Critical views of civil society

s Feminist critiques

s Neglect of class politics

s Questions of NGO accountability

s “Bad civil society”

Overall, there is a concern about fetishizing the idea of civil society.

Civil Disobedience

Ø Patrons

s Thoreau

s Mohandas K. Gandhi

s Martin Luther King, Jr.

Ø Meaning

s Target: injustice

s Involves breaking the law out of respect for the rule of law

s Generally linked to nonviolence

s Must be public

Ø Hacking (and "Hacktivism")