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Making sense of global civil society

Bartelson, Jens LU (2006) In European Journal of International Relations 12(3). p.371-395
Abstract

This article purports to explain why the concept of global civil society recently has attracted so much interest within academic and political discourse. Given the ambiguity and apparent incoherence of this concept, its centrality within contemporary International Relations and political theory is puzzling. The article argues that once we pay attention to the function of the concept of domestic civil society within different historical contexts, we are better able to understand the logic governing the usage of global civil society as well. Much like its domestic antecedents, theories of global civil society provide answers to the question of how to govern effectively, in this case by constituting the global realm as a sphere of... (More)

This article purports to explain why the concept of global civil society recently has attracted so much interest within academic and political discourse. Given the ambiguity and apparent incoherence of this concept, its centrality within contemporary International Relations and political theory is puzzling. The article argues that once we pay attention to the function of the concept of domestic civil society within different historical contexts, we are better able to understand the logic governing the usage of global civil society as well. Much like its domestic antecedents, theories of global civil society provide answers to the question of how to govern effectively, in this case by constituting the global realm as a sphere of governmental activity, as well as by justifying the exercise of authority within this emergent sphere. The article concludes by discussing the ethical implications of the concept of global civil society, disputing its emancipatory potential.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Authority, Global civil society, Globalization, Governmentality, Legitimacy
in
European Journal of International Relations
volume
12
issue
3
pages
25 pages
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • scopus:33748434580
ISSN
1354-0661
DOI
10.1177/1354066106067348
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
48eee4f2-e249-44ab-8826-1522fd3450d7
date added to LUP
2023-08-24 06:59:44
date last changed
2023-08-24 13:39:36
@article{48eee4f2-e249-44ab-8826-1522fd3450d7,
  abstract     = {{<p>This article purports to explain why the concept of global civil society recently has attracted so much interest within academic and political discourse. Given the ambiguity and apparent incoherence of this concept, its centrality within contemporary International Relations and political theory is puzzling. The article argues that once we pay attention to the function of the concept of domestic civil society within different historical contexts, we are better able to understand the logic governing the usage of global civil society as well. Much like its domestic antecedents, theories of global civil society provide answers to the question of how to govern effectively, in this case by constituting the global realm as a sphere of governmental activity, as well as by justifying the exercise of authority within this emergent sphere. The article concludes by discussing the ethical implications of the concept of global civil society, disputing its emancipatory potential.</p>}},
  author       = {{Bartelson, Jens}},
  issn         = {{1354-0661}},
  keywords     = {{Authority; Global civil society; Globalization; Governmentality; Legitimacy}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{371--395}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{European Journal of International Relations}},
  title        = {{Making sense of global civil society}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1354066106067348}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/1354066106067348}},
  volume       = {{12}},
  year         = {{2006}},
}