Congrès Mondial des Études sur le Moyen-Orient et l'Afrique du Nord

Barcelone, du 19 au 24 Juillet 2010

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Another Debate on Civil Society - Challenges of Civil Societal Politics (194) - NOT_DEFINED activity_field_Panel
 

· NOT_DEFINED institution: University of Tuebingen (Germany)

· NOT_DEFINED organizer: Huercan Asli Aksoy, Nadine Kreitmeyr

· NOT_DEFINED language: English

· NOT_DEFINED description: The concept of civil society in the Middle East is once again being discussed in the context of the increasing role of Islamic organizations in politics. Our point of departure is the changing discourse on civil society in the Middle East since the 1990s, inter alia regarding Islamic organizations as civil society actors or new strategies and concepts employed by them. The aim of the panel is to clarify the contemporary role of civil society in the Middle East, which changed enormously over time.The panel combines diverse discussions on civil society within the context of comparative politics. The theoretical approach of the panel moves along the lines of developmental studies, political culture and discourse analysis and democratization theories, and thus offers a broad perspective for examining civil society in the Middle East. By means of empirical analyses of different countries the panel aims at (re)constructing the role of civil society in Middle Eastern politics and outlines the varieties of civil societal organizations.

Chair: Oliver Schlumberger, University of Tuebingen

Discussant: Mustapha K. Al-Sayyid, Cairo University

Paper presenter: Paola Rivetti (University of Siena, Italy), “Civil Society: a Cultural Instrument for Counter-Power? Rhetorics and Political Agency in Iran”
In the last two decades, the idea of civil society has gained a central place in political culture and «neo-gramscian» debate on counter-power and subalternity. The emersion of Post Washington Consensus as the international strategy for development has been followed by the imposition of a new model of governance ‘«good governance» at the national level’ which has been reshaped and reinterpreted by local actors. «Feel good» ideas associated with civil society or good governance, referring to participation, institutional accountability and democracy, may be used by local actors, who emphasize the counter-power potentiality of the discourse on civil society. At the same time, the call for participation and empowerment of civil society can serve to the process of institutional legitimation and improve their reputation. But what kind of relation does exist between power and counter-power dimensions? How can we map counter-power activism? Does a counter-power dimension divided by ‘power realm’ really exist? Such dynamics will be examined in the Iranian context, in particular during Mohammad Khatami’s terms in office (1997-2005). Such a choice is motivated by the fact that this period has been characterized by the rhetoric of participation, empowerment of civil society. In this paper I try to find the answers by questioning the empirical evidences collected during my fieldwork in 2005, 2007 and 2008. The theoretical framework and the adopted methodology come from a Foucaultian perspective, which pays a particular attention to the «exercise of power» and from the idea that there are no clear boundaries to distinguish the political actors (Karl Polanyi, Julie Elyachar, Béatrice Hibou). The research may shed some light on the elusiveness between power and counter-power spheres.

Paper presenter: Nadine Kreitmeyr (University of Tuebingen, Germany), “A new perspective on the study of civil society in the Middle East”
During the last decades, Islam has once again gained importance in modern nation states in the Middle East. Its importance becomes apparent inter alia in the significant increase in number and influence of Islamic civil society movements and organizations in their societies. Their drawing power transcends the borders of the nation state, potentially causing social change independent from the state. In this respect, they differ from secular civil society actors. As a consequence, new cleavages emerge between Islamic and secular movements on the one hand and between these movements and the state on the other hand. What shape do these cleavages take, and what impact do they have on the organization, structure, mechanisms, recruitment and scope of action of civil society organisations (CSOs)? What differences become apparent between secular and Islamic CSOs in this respect? This paper introduces a theoretical approach to the localization of the variety of CSOs in the Middle East in the mentioned cleavages and thus aims at offering a new analytical perspective on the study of civil society in the Middle East.

Paper presenter: Huercan Asli Aksoy (University of Tuebingen, Germany), “Agents of Change? Mapping the Islamist Women's Movement in Turkish Civil Society”
The flourishing civil societal organizations in the Middle East appeared as a result of the changing socio-economic conditions and proliferating opportunities of the expression of ethnic, tribal or religious identities. Within the changing context, the Islamic movements came forward and had impact on the political systems.In the case of Turkey, the Islamic movement, understood as part of civil society, challenges the legitimacy and the hegemony of the modernist and secularist Turkish state since the 1990s. From that time on, the social tension between the secularist state and the Islamic movement affects Turkey’s political agenda and influences the direction of the long-lasting democratization process. Civil society underwent a significant change due to democratization and the rise of political Islam. In this striking point, ‘veiling women’ are significant actors in Islamic civil society. They contribute to the ascension of Islamist politics through their grass roots organizations and thus open up the political sphere for women.The veiling issue which affects primarily the women is one of the major points of discussion between the secularist modern state and Islamic civil society. Regarding this, the paper will question the role of veiling women in civil society during the Islamist AKP (Justice and Development Party) government in the 2000s. What do Islamist women do in the veiling issue? Do they challenge the government or do they co-opt with governmental strategies in women politics? What are their requests and do they cooperate with other women’s movement? This paper aims at mapping the Islamic women’s movement within Turkish civil society by looking at the role of women’s organizations or groups, within the context of democratization in Turkey.

Paper presenter: Özlem Tür (Middle East Technical University, Turkey), “Islamic Organizations and Civil Society in Turkey in the 2000s”
The 2002 elections brought the Justice and Development Party (AKP) to power in Turkey. This was perceived by many analysts as an earthquake shaking up of the secular roots of the Turkish political system. This paper underlines that in addition to the traditional secular/Islamist cleavage in the country this development can also be seen as the culmination of changes in the political economy of the country since the 1980 economic liberalization policies and integration into the global markets. The emergence of new elite ‘ the so called Anatolian Tigers’ and the new middle classes constitute a key to understanding the political roots of AKP, as well as understanding the dynamics of the civil society activity in the country.The paper will be divided into two main parts. In the first part, I will be focusing on the relationship between the economic liberalization policies and the emergence of new classes and a more vigourous civil society. I will discuss the role of Islamic organizations within this process. In the second part of the paper, I will be looking at the Turkish example, especially in the 2000s. The coming to power of the AKP and the state of the civil society will be the main focus here. What can be said in general about the Islamic organizations and their status under the AKP? How is the civil society functioning under the AKP? Is the civil society fragmenting along Islamic/secular lines and what is the role of the Islamic NGOs in that development?