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Civil society elites : managers of civic capital

Johansson, Håkan LU and Sevelsted, Anders LU (2024) In Theory and Society
Abstract
The article takes the first steps towards a general theory of civil society elites, a
concept not fully developed in either elite or civil society research. This conceptual
gap hampers academic and public understanding of the dynamics at the top of civil
society. To address this, the authors rely on the theoretical framework of Pierre
Bourdieu to build a theory of civil society elites as managers of civic capital. This
role is illustrated through examples from the differently institutionalised UK and
Nordic civil societies. The first part of the article introduces the notion of civic
capital and its emergence during the 19th century. The second part focuses on elite
positions in civil society fields,... (More)
The article takes the first steps towards a general theory of civil society elites, a
concept not fully developed in either elite or civil society research. This conceptual
gap hampers academic and public understanding of the dynamics at the top of civil
society. To address this, the authors rely on the theoretical framework of Pierre
Bourdieu to build a theory of civil society elites as managers of civic capital. This
role is illustrated through examples from the differently institutionalised UK and
Nordic civil societies. The first part of the article introduces the notion of civic
capital and its emergence during the 19th century. The second part focuses on elite
positions in civil society fields, demonstrating how civil society elites, as managers
of civic capital, navigate between their constituents and other elite groups. These
elites wield the power to consecrate social relations while misrecognising their own
symbolic and economic gains. Recent scandals in the climate movement and UK
and Nordic civil societies shed light on the symbolic aspects of the positions of
civil society elites. This comprehensive analysis contributes to elite and civil society research and enriches public discussions about the role of civil society leaders
in society (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
keywords
civil society, elites, civic capital, bourdieu, fields
in
Theory and Society
pages
19 pages
publisher
Springer
ISSN
0304-2421
DOI
10.1007/s11186-024-09559-2
project
Civil society elites? Comparing elite composition, reproduction, integration and contestation in European civil societies
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
8027d169-6187-42b0-aaea-bffdcb770ca8
date added to LUP
2024-06-04 09:53:15
date last changed
2024-06-05 13:54:30
@article{8027d169-6187-42b0-aaea-bffdcb770ca8,
  abstract     = {{The article takes the first steps towards a general theory of civil society elites, a <br/>concept not fully developed in either elite or civil society research. This conceptual <br/>gap hampers academic and public understanding of the dynamics at the top of civil <br/>society. To address this, the authors rely on the theoretical framework of Pierre <br/>Bourdieu to build a theory of civil society elites as managers of civic capital. This <br/>role is illustrated through examples from the differently institutionalised UK and <br/>Nordic civil societies. The first part of the article introduces the notion of civic <br/>capital and its emergence during the 19th century. The second part focuses on elite <br/>positions in civil society fields, demonstrating how civil society elites, as managers <br/>of civic capital, navigate between their constituents and other elite groups. These <br/>elites wield the power to consecrate social relations while misrecognising their own <br/>symbolic and economic gains. Recent scandals in the climate movement and UK <br/>and Nordic civil societies shed light on the symbolic aspects of the positions of <br/>civil society elites. This comprehensive analysis contributes to elite and civil society research and enriches public discussions about the role of civil society leaders <br/>in society}},
  author       = {{Johansson, Håkan and Sevelsted, Anders}},
  issn         = {{0304-2421}},
  keywords     = {{civil society; elites; civic capital; bourdieu; fields}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Theory and Society}},
  title        = {{Civil society elites : managers of civic capital}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11186-024-09559-2}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s11186-024-09559-2}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}