The civil society debate in Africa

International Journal

Volumn 51, Issue 1, 1995, Pages 54-77

  Hutchful, Eboe ^a  

^a WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 0002662720     PISSN: 00207020     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.2307/40203751     Document Type: Article

References (54)

1. On this phenomenon, Peter Ekeh remarks: 'A content analysis of the use of "civil society" in African studies, dating back to the 1950s, is liable to demonstrate the absence of this term, or at any rate its thinness, in the study of African politics up until the mid-1980s and then a sudden explosion in its application.' 'The constitution of civil society in African history and politics,' in B. Caron, A. Gboyega, and E. Osaghae, eds, Democratic Transition in Africa (Ibadan: University of Ibadan 1992), 187.
2. Michael Bratton, 'Beyond the state: civil society and associational life in Africa,' World Politics 41 (April 1989), 416.
3. See, for example, Jean Cohen and Andrew Arato, Civil Society and Political Theory (Cambridge MA: MIT Press 1992); John Keane, ed, Civil Society and the State: New European Perspectives (London: Verso 1988); Adam B. Seligman, The Idea of Civil Society (New York: Free Press 1992).
4. See, for example, Jean Cohen and Andrew Arato, Civil Society and Political Theory (Cambridge MA: MIT Press 1992); John Keane, ed, Civil Society and the State: New European Perspectives (London: Verso 1988); Adam B. Seligman, The Idea of Civil Society (New York: Free Press 1992).
5. See, for example, Jean Cohen and Andrew Arato, Civil Society and Political Theory (Cambridge MA: MIT Press 1992); John Keane, ed, Civil Society and the State: New European Perspectives (London: Verso 1988); Adam B. Seligman, The Idea of Civil Society (New York: Free Press 1992).
6. Augustus R. Norton, ed, Civil Society in the Middle East, Vol 1 (Leiden: E.J. Brill 1995), 7; Alfred Stepan, Rethinking Military Politics: Brazil and the Southern Cone (Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press 1988), 3-4; John Harbeson, 'Civil society and political renaissance in Africa' in Harbeson, Donald Rothchild, and Naomi Chazan, eds, Civil Society and the State in Africa (Boulder CO: Lynne Rienner, 1994), 3-4.
7. Augustus R. Norton, ed, Civil Society in the Middle East, Vol 1 (Leiden: E.J. Brill 1995), 7; Alfred Stepan, Rethinking Military Politics: Brazil and the Southern Cone (Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press 1988), 3-4; John Harbeson, 'Civil society and political renaissance in Africa' in Harbeson, Donald Rothchild, and Naomi Chazan, eds, Civil Society and the State in Africa (Boulder CO: Lynne Rienner, 1994), 3-4.
8. Augustus R. Norton, ed, Civil Society in the Middle East, Vol 1 (Leiden: E.J. Brill 1995), 7; Alfred Stepan, Rethinking Military Politics: Brazil and the Southern Cone (Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press 1988), 3-4; John Harbeson, 'Civil society and political renaissance in Africa' in Harbeson, Donald Rothchild, and Naomi Chazan, eds, Civil Society and the State in Africa (Boulder CO: Lynne Rienner, 1994), 3-4.
9. Heath B. Chamberlain, 'On the search for civil society in China,' Modern China 19(April 1993), 207-8.
10. Franz Kunz, 'Civil society in Africa' (review article), Journal of Modern African Studies 33(March 1995), 181-7.
11. Eva Bellin, 'Civil society in formation: Tunisia,' in Norton, ed, Civil Society in the Middle East, 123.
12. Cited in Frederic Wakeman, 'The civil society and public sphere debate: western reflections on Chinese political culture,' Modern China 19(April 1993), 111.
13. Kunz, 'Civil society in Africa,' 187.
14. Jean-François Bayart, 'Civil society in Africa,' in Patrick Chabal, ed, Political Domination in Africa: Reflections on the Limits of Power (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1986).
15. Patrick Chabal, Power in Africa: An Essay in Political Interpretation (New York: St Martin's 1991), 83.
16. René Lemarchand, 'Uncivil states and civil societies: how illusion became reality,' Journal of Modern African Studies 30(June 1992), 187.
17. Larry Diamond, 'Introduction: roots of failure, seeds of hope,' in Diamond, Juan J. Linz, and Seymour Martin Lipset, Democracy in Developing Countries. 2: Africa (Boulder CO: Lynne Rienner 1988), 19.
18. Victor Azarya, 'Civil society and disengagement in Africa,' in Harbeson et al, Civil Society and the State in Africa, 95.
19. Kunz, 'Civil society in Africa,' 187.
20. Chabal, Power in Africa.
21. Ekeh, 'The constitution of civil society,' 196.
22. Ibid, 197.
23. Cohen and Arato, Civil Society and Political Theory, 2-3.
24. Dwayne Woods, 'Civil society in Europe and Africa: limiting state power through a public sphere,' African Studies Review 35(September 1992).
25. See the critical discussion of Rowe's works in Wakeman, 'The civil society and public sphere debate.'
26. In some accounts not even the non-existence of states in precolonial Africa is seen as a problem: 'While many precolonial cultures in Africa may have lacked states, they did not lack civil societies.' Bratton, 'Beyond the state,'
27. Dickson Eyoh, 'From economic crisis to political liberalization: the pitfalls of the new political sociology for Africa,' unpublished paper, Department of Political Science, University of Toronto, 1995.
28. Harbeson, 'Civil society and political renaissance in Africa,' 2.
29. See, for instance, John R. Heilbrunn, 'Social origins of national conferences in Benin and Togo,' Journal of Modern African Studies 31 (June 1993). For the difficulties of this approach see the critical response by Kathryn Nwajiaku, 'The national conferences in Benin in Togo revisited,' ibid, 32(September 1994).
30. See, for instance, John R. Heilbrunn, 'Social origins of national conferences in Benin and Togo,' Journal of Modern African Studies 31 (June 1993). For the difficulties of this approach see the critical response by Kathryn Nwajiaku, 'The national conferences in Benin in Togo revisited,' ibid, 32(September 1994).
31. Ekeh, 'The constitution of civil society, 208.
32. Mahmood Mamdani and Ernest Wamba-dia-Wamba, eds, African Studies in Social Movements and Democracy (Dakar: Codesria 1995).
33. Mohamad Said Al-Gaddad, 'The Sudanese Communist party and liberal democracy,' in ibid, 89.
34. Neil Hicks and Ghanin el Najjir, 'The utility of tradition: civil society in Kuwait,' in Norton, ed, Civil Society in the Middle East.
35. Naomi Chazan as cited by Azarya, 'Civil society and disengagement in Africa, 95.
36. Ahmad S. Moussalli, 'Modern Islamic fundamentalist discourses on civil society, pluralism and democracy' in Norton, ed, Civil Society in the Middle East, 99-119.
37. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, 'Democratization in the Arab world,' in ibid, 52.
38. Eboe Hutchful, 'Regimes, adjustment and politics in Africa,' unpublished paper, Department of Africana Studies, Wayne State University, 1993, 24.
39. The traditional 'liberal' view is of course that liberalization fortifies and is an essential condition for the emergence/sustainability of civil society. Harbeson even goes so far as to claim that 'the campaigns for structural adjustment [!] are in part responsible for the reemergence of the idea of civil society, in that the concept grew out of a resurgent faith in the vitality and indispensability of the private sector to a country's political and economic health ('Civil society and political renaissance in Africa,' 9). I think that the contrary view - that struggles for democracy have been activated to a large extent by the economic suffering triggered by structural adjustment programmes - is a much more persuasive one.
40. Maxwell Owusu, 'Democracy and Africa - a view from the village,' Journal of Modern African Studies 30(September 1992), 377.
41. Lemarchand, 'Uncivil states and civil societies,' 187.
42. Ifi Amadiume, 'Gender, political systems and social movements: a west African experience,' in Mamdani and Wamba-dia-Wamba, eds, African Studies in Social Movements and Democracy.
43. Alan Fowler, 'The role of NGOS in changing state-society relations: perspectives from eastern and southern Africa,' Development Policy Review 9(March 1991); and Eboe Hutchful, 'The international dimensions of demoralization processes in Africa,' in Eshetu Chole and Jibrin Ibrahim, eds, Democratisation Processes in Africa: Problems and Prospects (Dakar: Codesria 1995).
44. Alan Fowler, 'The role of NGOS in changing state-society relations: perspectives from eastern and southern Africa,' Development Policy Review 9(March 1991); and Eboe Hutchful, 'The international dimensions of demoralization processes in Africa,' in Eshetu Chole and Jibrin Ibrahim, eds, Democratisation Processes in Africa: Problems and Prospects (Dakar: Codesria 1995).
45. Hence in Zaire for instance we are told that the national conference excluded political parties from the definition of civil society because of the role those parties played in betraying popular interests in Zaire. Wamba-dia-Wamba, 'Democracy, multipartyism and emancipative politics in Africa: the case of Zaire,' Africa Development 18(no 4, 1993), 108.
46. Kofi Drah's caution on the state of civil society in Ghana seems representative: 'as many groups of civil society as possible should wake up to the imperative of concerted action in the face of clear and present danger to the safety and welfare of our dear republic. It is arguable that hitherto, except on a few occasions, there has been a singular lack of dialogue and collaboration among the various sub-units for mutual benefit. Almost all of them have appeared to be rather parochial in pursuing their own interests, forgetting that united action - as and when necessary - could make them formidable social forces to be reckoned with by the managers of the state of whatever political persuasion.' 'Civil society and the transition to pluralist democracy,' in Kwame Ninsin and Kofi Drah, eds, Political Parties and Democracy in Ghana's Fourth Republic (Accra: Woeli 1993), 110.
47. Anthony Marx, Lessons of Struggle: South African Internal Opposition, 1960-1990 (New York: Oxford University Press 1992), 251.
48. Ibid., 268, 259.
49. Ibid, 241, 247.
50. Or non-change. Revolutionary movements are excluded from the definition of civil society by Chazan and others - even though civil society in the West was often the product of political revolutions.
51. Harbeson actually speaks of the 'necessity and inevitability' of civil society. 'Civil society and political renaissance in Africa,' 3.
52. Chamberlain notes the tendency among some China scholars to see civil society as the ' "missing link" between Western and non-Western political experiences.' 'On the search for civil society in China,' 199.
53. Jacques Depelchin, From the Congo Free State to Zaire (1885-1974): Towards a Demystification of Economic and Political History (Dakar: Codesria 1992) 1.
54. Cohen and Arato, Civil Society and Political Theory, 15-16.