NGOs, Civil Society, and the Public Sphere

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Lang
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Public Sphere

Women and participatory constitutionalism

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 233-259
Author(s):  
Ruth Rubio-Marín
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Structural Dimension ◽  
The Public ◽  
Participation Of Women ◽  
The World ◽  
Turn Taking ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Constitution Making

Abstract This article underscores the foundational exclusion of women from constitution-making as an expression of the ideology of separate and gendered spheres dominant at the birth of written constitutionalism. It traces the incorporation of women into constitution-making within a broader gender equality participatory turn taking place, since the late 1980s and especially 1990s, coinciding in time with the rise of popular constitutionalism more broadly speaking. By looking at a variety of examples drawn from multiple jurisdictions across the world, it explores the forms of participation of women in constitution-making both through their gradual (though yet insufficient) incorporation into official constitution-making bodies and institutions and, more importantly, through civil society mobilization. It claims that without taking into account the structural dimension of women’s traditional exclusion from the public sphere and constitution-making it is not possible to have an adequate comprehension of the strategies, challenges, meaning, and impact of women joining constitution-making, all of which I briefly describe.

Covering Disasters, Natural or Otherwise: Media, Politics, and the Public Sphere in Post-Earthquake Turkey

2001 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 141-164
Author(s):  
George Gavrilis
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
State Agencies ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Media ◽  
Media Politics ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Marmara Earthquake ◽  
Relief Efforts

On 17 August 2000, the somber first anniversary of the Marmara earthquake, the mainstream Turkish media found a sole reason for celebration. Alongside lengthy reports of vigils in remembrance of the dead and protests of the state's anemic relief efforts, the media celebrated its partnership with civil society and all but declared an end to a state that was at once heavy-handed and ineffectual. Amplifying this theme, an article that compiled a list of the earthquake's “winners” and “losers” placed the media and civil society in the former category and a host of state agencies charged with disaster response in the latter one. Hürriyet, a high-circulation mainstream newspaper, described this praise as well deserved, stating that journalists had effectively “exposed all the naked truths” of the state's inability to provide for its population.

Modernizing authoritarian rule in Saudi Arabia

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 587-601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madawi Al-Rasheed
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
General Trend ◽  
Free Press ◽  
Authoritarian Rule ◽  
Municipal Elections ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Public Sphere

In the post-9/11 period, the Saudi state faced mounting pressure to appropriate the rhetoric of reform and introduce a series of reformist measures and promises, although none posed a serious challenge to the rule of the Āl Saʿūd. This involved the opening of the public sphere to quasi-independent civil society associations, limited municipal elections, and a relatively free press. Reform of the royal house, aimed at dealing with possible future problematic succession to the throne, was also part of a general trend. This article deals with state-initiated reforms the objective of which was to modernize authoritarian rule without risking the loss of too much power to the constituency.

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