Decolonizing Civil Society in Mozambique: Governance, Politics and Spiritual Systems

Description

By demonstrating that Western conceptions of 'civil society' have provided the framework for interpreting societies in the Global South, Decolonizing Civil Society in Mozambique argues that it is only through a critical deconstruction of these concepts that we can start to re-balance global power relationships, both in academic discourse and in development practices. Examining the exclusionary discourses framing the support for Western-type NGOs in the development discourse - often to the exclusion of local social actors - this book dissects mainstream contemporary ideas about 'civil society', and finds a new means by which to identify local forms of social action, often based in traditional structures and spiritual discourses. Outlining new conceptual ideas for an alternative framing of Mozambique's 'civil society', Kleibl proposes a series of fresh theoretical issues and questions alongside empirical research, moving towards a series of new policy and practice arguments for rethinking and decolonizing civil society in the Global South. Cover Contents List of illustrations Acknowledgements Foreword List of abbreviations and acronyms Introduction STATE-SOCIETY RELATIONSHIPS AND CIVILSOCIETY IN POST-COLONIAL AFRICA Post-colonial civil society and political domination in Africa Post-colonial perspectives on civil society in Africa: Towards an alternative approach for research and action The country case study Mozambique: Post-colonial conflict and civil society activism Outline of the book Part I INTERROGATING CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE DEVELOPMENT DISCOURSE Civil society: Historical notions and colonial linkages Development theory and civil society Liberal global civil society and development Civil society and hegemony under the post-colonial order Civil society and social transformation Conclusion: Civil society and its contradictions Part II DEVELOPMENT OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN MOZAMBIQUE The constitutional framework and the development of the public sphere(s) Historical development of civil society Civil society: Building a new historic bloc Civil society: Political disunity, conformity and structural adjustment Civil society: NGOs and the interface with traditional society Civil society: NGOs, humanitarian aid, development, democracy and participation Conclusion: The dilemma of institutionalization and state control Part III GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY IN MOZAMBIQUE Civil society: A contested social arena The international donor perspective and good governance: Extending government services and control Discourses of inequality in post-colonial civil society Civil society and political society: Advocacy for economic and political change Contesting society: Religion, violent protest, witchcraft and self-defence Redefining national identities? Part IV CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE CONTEXT OF ECONOMIC DISORDERAND POLITICAL CONFLICT: A CASE STUDY FROM INHASSUNGEDISTRICT (ZAMBÉZIA PROVINCE, MOZAMBIQUE) Introduction: The provincial context and selection of district level case study Inhassunge District Colonial legacies and modern exploitation Political and traditional society Family systems and power The role of NGOs, associations and religion Spiritual systems and witchcraft The special case of Olinda: Land, ownership, ethnic citizenship and spiritual agency A theoretical and methodological reflection: The interface of modern and traditional governance and its implications on civil society development in Inhassunge District Conclusions Deconstructing colonial legacies to pave the way forward: Conceptual and methodological considerations Decolonizing alliances and transformation Notes Bibliography Web Sites, blogs, online newspapers and videos Index