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Demokratiskt rörelse? om sociala rörelser i en globaliserad värld

Joelsson, Sofia LU (2011) STVK01 20111
Department of Political Science
Abstract
The aim of this thesis is to discuss the relationship between social movements and democracy in a globalized world. Social movements are understood as both compellers and sites of democracy. New technologies are creatively used by social movements, and the global web based movement Avaaz makes an interesting empirical case. Through an engagement with critical and normative theories of democracy, a framework for analyzing the democratic potential of social movements is developed. The framework consists of three levels: the meta perspective with democratic values, the institutional level with the movements practice of democracy, and the activist level which emphasize the role of participation. The framework is used to study Avaaz and the... (More)
The aim of this thesis is to discuss the relationship between social movements and democracy in a globalized world. Social movements are understood as both compellers and sites of democracy. New technologies are creatively used by social movements, and the global web based movement Avaaz makes an interesting empirical case. Through an engagement with critical and normative theories of democracy, a framework for analyzing the democratic potential of social movements is developed. The framework consists of three levels: the meta perspective with democratic values, the institutional level with the movements practice of democracy, and the activist level which emphasize the role of participation. The framework is used to study Avaaz and the material consists of earlier research and a textual analysis of Avaaz’s web page. The analyze shows that though Avaaz is having a democratic potential, the lack of transparency and recognition of the political are obstacles to fulfill the democratic values and contribute to a vibrant public sphere. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Joelsson, Sofia LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK01 20111
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Transnational activism, Critical Theory, Globalization, Democracy, Social movements, Avaaz
language
Swedish
id
1968505
date added to LUP
2011-06-20 14:29:39
date last changed
2011-06-20 14:29:39
@misc{1968505,
  abstract     = {{The aim of this thesis is to discuss the relationship between social movements and democracy in a globalized world. Social movements are understood as both compellers and sites of democracy. New technologies are creatively used by social movements, and the global web based movement Avaaz makes an interesting empirical case. Through an engagement with critical and normative theories of democracy, a framework for analyzing the democratic potential of social movements is developed. The framework consists of three levels: the meta perspective with democratic values, the institutional level with the movements practice of democracy, and the activist level which emphasize the role of participation. The framework is used to study Avaaz and the material consists of earlier research and a textual analysis of Avaaz’s web page. The analyze shows that though Avaaz is having a democratic potential, the lack of transparency and recognition of the political are obstacles to fulfill the democratic values and contribute to a vibrant public sphere.}},
  author       = {{Joelsson, Sofia}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Demokratiskt rörelse? om sociala rörelser i en globaliserad värld}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}