Smooth Machinery

Global Governmentality and Civil Society HIV/Aids Work in Rwanda

Bibliographic Data

ID12716319
AuthorsBeniamin Knutsson (0000-0001-5516-6532, University of Gothenburg, corresponding author)
Year2014
Volume11
Issue6
Pages793-807
Publication date2014-05-13
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueGlobalizations (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1474-7731 • E-ISSN: 1474-774X
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14747731.2014.916555
OpenAlexW2069800363
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited33

In recent years there has been a massive influx of aid to civil society HIV/AIDS work in Africa. Drawing on fieldwork in Rwanda, this article explores, through a governmentality perspective, the rationalities and technologies of government that accompany the new funding schemes. The paper feeds into contemporary debates on the relevance of governmentality studies in Africa and on the complicated relationship between state, civil society, and international donors in the particular context of Rwanda. Despite the country's known record of authoritarian politics, the paper argues that Rwandan civil society organizations are in fact largely subject to advanced liberal rule, rendering them responsible and active in their own government. This global governmentality, in turn, unfolds through a post-political machinery that effectively blurs boundaries between international donor, state, and civil society institutions. Ultimately, this means that researchers interested in resistance must be prepared to extend their visual field considerably

Authoritarianism · Civil society · Context (archaeology · Democracy · Government (linguistics · Governmentality · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · State (computer science · International Development and Aid · Law · Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts · Public Administration · Sex work and related issues