Civil Society theories

Question 1

What is the relationship between citizenship and civil society in perhaps the broadest sense?

Answer 1

Citizenship is played out in a community that is called civil society

Question 2

Under what framework did Gramsci view civil society?

Answer 2

Within his understanding of cultural hegemony: how institutions, the nation state and the bourgeoisie seek to manipulate culture so that it becomes second nature, normalised

Question 3

What is included in Gramsci’s civil society?

Answer 3

Social institutions served by the people as part of the state (Church, Unions and political parties)

Question 4

Is Gramsci’s view of civil society liberal?

Answer 4

Often categorised as such, although the theoretical base is very much a populist-Marxist idea

Question 5

What was de Tocqueville’s view of civil society?

Answer 5

VOLUNTARY social organisations (charities, clubs etc), SEPARATE from the state

Forms a key part of democracy

Question 6

What two theories are labelled as liberal citizenship?

Answer 6

• de Tocqueville

- Gramsci (although more of a Hegelian-Marxist understanding)

Question 7

How do Hegelian and Marxist notions of civil society contrast with liberal understandings?

Answer 7

Linked to class struggle - not open to everyone and exclusionary 
Focus on capitalist markets

Question 8

What is a contemporary alternative theory of civil society?

Answer 8

Giddens’ Third Way:

• State
• Market
• Everything else (separate from the above -clearly wrong!)

Question 9

What do de Tocqueville’s and Giddens’ theories of civil society have in common? Why are they important?

Answer 9

Civil society seen as external to the state, thereby enabling neoliberal approaches for development

Question 10

Who has substantially contributed to the idea of social capital?

Answer 10

Robert Putnam (2000, Bowling alone)

Question 11

What is the idea behind social capital?

Answer 11

• That social capital allows engagement with civil society
• Linked to economic, political and cultural capital

(c.f. Putnam, 2000)

Question 12

What is the premise behind Putnam (2000) “Bowling alone”?

Answer 12

That civil society in the US has deteriorate substantially because of a concurrent deterioration in social capital

Question 13

Is civil society always democratic?

Answer 13

Not really, often underlying issues of exclusion etc, similarly with citizenship in general

Question 14

Who has written about social movements as an element of civil society?

Answer 14

Painter, 1995 and how Marxian views can be restrictive and lack intersectionality

Question 15

Who has written about divisions in civil society in India?

Answer 15

Chatterjee 2014

Question 16

How does Chatterjee (2014) see civil society in India?

Answer 16

• Split into CITIZENS with civic property - the middle classes, and POPULATIONS without property living in slums
• Thus true “citizens” are actually a minority
• Language recreates this cultural hegemony (Gramsci)

Question 17

What did the office for the third sector become in 2016 in the UK?

Answer 17

Minister for civil society - Created by David Cameron

Replaced the roll based on the Third Way

Since less significant - now part of charities (so even less connection to the state!)

Question 18

Why was minister for civil society created in 2016?

Answer 18

To have a ministerial post for Cameron’s “big society” project

Question 19

Why have politicians since the 1990s incorporated ministerial posts dealing with civil society?

Answer 19

To counter-act the adverse social effects of neoliberalism, whilst also giving the realm outside the state more control and autonomy

Moved support away from the state even further in doing so

Question 20

When did big society fail?

Answer 20

2014, stopped being used by Cameron

Question 21

What was the idea behind the Big Society?

Answer 21

To make “Society bigger than ever before” - a counterpart to the reduced state

Question 22

What is a good example of a long running big society?

Answer 22

Collectivist attitudes, seen in Walmart Checkouts

Question 23

How does “Big Society” and its equivalents highlight the contradictions of neoliberal capitalism?

Answer 23

The state is needed to support localised elements of civil society, even though the state should have no involvement

Question 24

When was big society semi-resurrected?

Answer 24

With the Covid pandemic - government proving charity-like funding

The term even returned

Question 25

Why is social capital important for Putnam?

Answer 25

It allows for social cohesion and econ growth - this latter point is why he advised UK and US govs in the 1990s and 2000s

Question 26

What has the decline in social capital in the US been met with?

Answer 26

A rise in political movements, but these have less social cohesion and collectiveness (Putnam, 2000)

Question 27

What is a contemporary example of a civil society movement engineered by the state? What are the implications?

Answer 27

• Climate Assembly in the UK (created by Gov in 2019)
• Might give excuse to move attention away from the government and the state
• Could also lack expertise

Question 28

What does learning citizenship highlight?

Answer 28

A disparity between what the state (or hegemonic ideologies) wants compared to what the students want to learn and voice

(Staeheli and Hammett 2010)

Question 29

Why does citizenship studies usually look at democratic societies?

Answer 29

There are supposedly more opportunities and political democracy in these places

Question 30

What is ironic about liberal democracies?

Answer 30

• A priori inclusivity
• Yet also exclusions exist
• About holding the nation state accountable…