210088 SE BAK15: East European Studies (Un)civil society in South Eastern Europe (2024S)

Following the events that led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, political observers in the West (re)discovered the concept of civil society in the texts of their Eastern European counterparts. The concept was quickly picked up, both as an analytical tool and a political slogan. Soon after, and precisely at the time political scientist Robert Putnam was warning of the death of associations in the USA, an ‘associational revolution’ or ‘NGO boom’ was set off in the former socialist states, with the normative goal of strengthening democracy. Some 30 years later, what can we say about the success or failure of these efforts? How did the creation of the NGO sector affect patterns of political mobilisation previously present in the region? What are the alliances made between sectors of civil society and new or old political parties?
In this seminar, students will gain knowledge of Gramscian, (neo)Tocquevillian and alternative theories of civil society and analyse texts which employ these theoretical frameworks to analyse events and processes unveiling in South-eastern Europe after the end of the Cold War. We will look at various sites of conflict – between different sectors of civil society or between civil society and the state. We will look at feminist and anti-gender protests, environmental movements and mobilisations of war veterans, but also ask what the role of organised labour is in social movements. We will ask why certain movements flourish while others fail, how movements become political parties and what compromises are made in the process.

The aim of this course is for students to develop a critical understanding of the main theories of civil society and be able to apply this understanding to their analysis of political and social processes in the region. By turning back to the events of the 1990s and even further back to the region’s socialist legacy, this course will offer students both the knowledge of historical conditions under which certain ‘civil society’ events came about as well as an understanding of where things might have gone differently.

The main teaching/learning method employed in the course will be intensive text work. Students will be required to prepare response papers related to the required readings in advance of the class. In class, student participation as well as in-group discussions and student presentations will be strongly encouraged.