Democracy-building efforts from the early 1990s on have funneled
billions of dollars into nongovernmental organizations across the
developing world, with the U.S. administration of George W. Bush
leading the charge since 2001. But are many such "civil society"
initiatives fatally flawed? Focusing on the Palestinian West Bank
and the Arab world, "Barriers to Democracy" mounts a powerful
challenge to the core tenet of civil society initiatives: namely,
that public participation in private associations necessarily
yields the sort of civic engagement that, in turn, sustains
effective democratic institutions. Such assertions tend to rely on
evidence from states that are democratic to begin with. Here,
Amaney Jamal investigates the role of civic associations in
promoting democratic attitudes and behavioral patterns in contexts
that are less than democratic.
Jamal argues that, in state-centralized environments,
associations can just as easily promote civic qualities vital to
authoritarian citizenship--such as support for the regime in power.
Thus, any assessment of the influence of associational life on
civic life must take into account political contexts, including the
relationships among associations, their leaders, and political
institutions.
"Barriers to Democracy" both builds on and critiques the
multifaceted literature that has emerged since the mid-1990s on
associational life and civil society. By critically examining
associational life in the West Bank during the height of the Oslo
Peace Process (1993-99), and extending her findings to Morocco,
Egypt, and Jordan, Jamal provides vital new insights into a timely
issue.
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