Fwd: [governance] Mercenaries on the list

[Jacques Berleur]

Friends,
Let me give an academic contribution to the definition of the civil society, by quoting:

1) the Centre for Civil Society (LSE, UL): "Civil society refers to the arena of uncœrced collective action 
around shared interests, purposes and values. In theory, its institutional forms are distinct from those 
of the state, family and market, though in practice, the boundaries between state, civil society, family 
and market are often complex, blurred and negotiated. Civil society commonly embraces a diversity of 
spaces, actors and institutional forms, varying in their degree of formality, autonomy and power. Civil 
societies are often populated by organisations such as registered charities, development non-
governmental organisations, community groups, women's organisations, faith-based organisations, 
professional associations, trade unions, self-help groups, social movements, business associations, 
coalitions and advocacy groups." ([Civil Society, 2007], Centre for Civil Society, London School of 
Economics, Report on Activities, July 2005 – August 2006, http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/CCS/
publications )

2) Some French contributions, inspired by Habermas (Jürgen Habermas. The Structural Transformation 
of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry Into a Category of Bourgeois Society. Trans. Thomas Burger. The MIT 
Press, 1989): (translation of the following quotations from the French are by me)

2a) "The civil society consists of these associations, organizations and movements which at the same 
time welcome, condense and echo, by amplifying them in the public space, the resonance which the 
social problems find in the spheres of the private life." ([Pirotte, 2007], Gautier Pirrotte, La notion de 
société civile, La Découverte (Collection Repères), Paris, 2007, 122 p.) I don't like very much the 
restriction to "social problems found in the spheres of the private life".

2b) "The civil society covers all the active networks in the political public space which do not depend 
upon either the administrative and governmental system, or the business system." ([Weerts, 2004], 
Laurence Weerts, Quatre modèles théoriques pour penser la société civile dans l’ordre juridique 
international, Séminaire Société civile et démocratisation des organisations internationales, 28 et 29 
mai 2004, à l’Université libre de Bruxelles, http://www.ulb.ac.be/droit/cdi/fichiers/
modeles_theoriques.pdf )

3) Others define the civil society as a "third way, between the political interests of the state and the 
economic interests of business."
Definition 2b has my preference. Hope this may help. But I don't see how to derive the "mercenaries on 
the list" from the definition!!!

Jacques Berleur
Professor Emeritus
Faculty of Informatics
University of Namur -  Belgium






En réponse à Rui Correia <correia.rui at gmail.com>:

> How can ANYONE ask ANYONE to define civil society?
> 
>  If we need to ask ourselves that, than we as well give up. I thought
>  it was clear when the summit was structured around and three-prong
>  front: government, business and THE REST.
> 
>  1. Government ostensibly operates from a position of the "public
>  interest" (not that they have a mandate for MOST of the things they do
>  in the public interest, but they do them nonetheless (look at how many
>  EU members prepare to rubber stamp the Lisbon Accord;
>  2. Business I am sure is Economics 101, no need for me to define (ie:
>  profits, profits, profits).
>  3. Civil Society is like family and friends - you trust them you
>  invite them over to your house, you actually want to spoil them
>  BECAUSE one (grammatically, it shout have been "you", but it is not
>  mine to reason who is or is not, as YOU so rightly pointed out) enjoys
>  their company and knows that they feel like you do about people being
>  keep from enjoying their rights to the full because someone else's
>  rights seem to take precedence.
>  4. Mercenaries
> 
>  But, Suresh, perhaps, we should ask YOU to define Civil Society,
>  seeing that you seem to know it all, judging by the the number of
>  topics you adjudge yourself to be an expert on and therefore qualified
>  to comment on - basically anything on this list. Has anybody ever
>  brought up the energy properties of dog poo? Do you have any opinion
>  on that?
> 
>  And before anybody starts shouting "ad hominem" (sexist as it is), it
>  is not and Suresh will acknowledge that he comment on EVERYTHING.
> 
>  Waiting to hear his views on the energy properties of dog poo.
> 
>  Best regards,
> 
>  Rui
> 
> 
> 
> 
>   It is like asking a
> 
> 
>  On 24/05/2008, Suresh Ramasubramanian <suresh at hserus.net> wrote:
>  > Rui Correia wrote:
>  >
>  >  > that the people on this list are who they say they are? How do we
> know
>  >  > that the list has not been infiltrated by whoever might it be
> that
>  >  > works against the interests of civil society?
>  >
>  >
>  > 1. Define civ soc
>  >
>  >  2. What would you consider to be in its interest?
>  >         2a. Milton / Parminder et al's position that the tech
> community can
>  >  keep out
>  >         2b. The positions I, Sadowsky, McTim etc have been
> advocating
>  >         2c. Intermediate positions (Adam Peake, Ian Peter ..)
>  >
>  >
> 
> 
> 
> --
>  ________________________________________________
> 
> 
>  Rui Correia
>  Advocacy, Human Rights, Media and Language Consultant
>  2 Cutten St
>  Horison
>  Roodepoort-Johannesburg,
>  South Africa
>  Tel/ Fax (+27-11) 766-4336
>  Mobile (+27) (0) 84-498-6838
>  _______________
>  áâãçéêíóôõúç
> 
> 
> -- 
> ________________________________________________
> 
> 
> Rui Correia
> Advocacy, Human Rights, Media and Language Consultant
> 2 Cutten St
> Horison
> Roodepoort-Johannesburg,
> South Africa
> Tel/ Fax (+27-11) 766-4336
> Mobile (+27) (0) 84-498-6838
> _______________
> áâãçéêíóôõúç
> ____________________________________________________________
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> 




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