Decolonizing Civil Society in Mozambique: Governance, Politics and Spiritual Systems (Politics and Development in Contemporary Africa)

"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."-- Provided by publisher 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 Decolonizing Civil Society in Mozambique: Why, How and For What? emphasizes the conceptual differences and exclusionary discourses framing the arguments for supporting Western-type NGOs in the development discourse, and for excluding local social actors (such as spiritual and traditional leaders) from an active role in social change. It is argued that Western conceptions of civil society provide the main guidance for interpreting internationally recognized civil society in the Global South and that these concepts need to be critically deconstructed and scrutinized; binary oppositions be uncovered; and, silenced conceptual meanings be investigated and articulated, in order to balance global power relationships in the academic discourse and development practices. Kleibl is particularly concerned with the dissection of the current mainstream civil society concept whilst identifying social action and processes that are often based on religious and traditional structures and spiritual discourses. The author attempts to outline new conceptual fragments of an alternative local civil society concept; fresh theoretical issues and questions; as well as empirical experiences, and concludes with policy and practice arguments for rethinking and decolonizing civil society in the Global South 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--back cover Introduction: Civil Society - a Functional or Transformative Concept? -- Part I: Interrogating Civil Society in the Development Discourse -- Part II: Civil Society in Mozambique -- Part III: Governance and Civil Society in Mozambique -- Part IV: Civil Society in the Context of Economic Disorder and Political Conflict -- Conclusion: Identifying and Pushing the Post-colonial Boundaries. An examination of the hegemonic nature of civil society, in order to conceptually confront global power differences that impact marginalized people living in or coming from former colonies or the 'Global South'