Civil Society and Democracy

A Zambian Case Study

Bibliographic Data

ID4603571
AuthorsDavid M C Bartlett (University of Leeds, corresponding author)
Year2000
Volume26
Issue3
Pages429-446
Publication date2000-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Southern African Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0305-7070 • E-ISSN: 1465-3893
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/030570700750019655
OpenAlexW1990668883
LanguageEN
Citations received17
References cited1

At the beginning of the 1990s, theorists talked of an 'international momentum' of democracy, and focused on the central role of civil society in advancing the democratic process. This approach was used to explore the transition in Zambia, but a close reading of events before and after Zambia's 1991 election indicates that 'older political logics' do not disappear merely because authoritarian regimes are challenged by forces from wider society. In Zambia, a range of civil actors were excluded from the transition negotiations by an agreement between Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) leaders and Kenneth Kaunda at the little known Mulungushi (constitutional) Conference in July 1991. This exclusion confirmed the weakness of civil society, and laid the basis for an authoritarian resurgence under the Third Republic MMD government in which a restricted social group established its dominance. Within eighteen months of taking office, observers were speculating on the MMD's institutionalisation of a de facto one-party state as 'older political logics' reasserted themselves. This period laid the foundation for subsequent political events as an ever-increasing range of actors were excluded from the political arena

Authoritarianism · Civil society · Democracy · Democratization · Development economics · Economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Law

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