Second thoughts on civil society

The state, civic associations and the antinomies of the public sphere in Africa

Bibliographic Data

ID12891069
AuthorsEbenezer Obadare (London School of Economics and Political Science, corresponding author)
Year2005
Volume1
Issue3
Pages267-281
Publication date2005-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Civil Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1744-8689 • E-ISSN: 1744-8697
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17448680500484426
OpenAlexW1964957376
LanguageEN
Citations received15
References cited15

Is a vibrant associational life necessarily antecedent to a strong civil society? Does associationism produce a more democratic and egalitarian political order? Using data from Nigeria, this paper interrogates a major problematic in the conceptualization of civil society. The contemporary reanimation of the idea of civil society in African scholarship has privileged the role of voluntary associations. This paper challenges and critically complicates that discourse by examining the origins, nature and activities of ‘alternative’ state-inspired ‘civil society’ organizations during the regime of General Sani Abacha (1993–1998). Until recently, these associations have been relatively neglected because, they negate both the wisdom about voluntary associations as democratic agents, and of civil society as a constantly positive force

Civil society · Conceptualization · Democracy · Environmental ethics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Public sphere · Scholarship · Sociology · State (computer science · Voluntary association · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Religion, Society, and Development