By Marc Davies, Rhodes University, Politics and International
Relations 3
Civil society is a
concept and ‘layer’ of society prevalent in the lexicon and lived experience of
the modern neoliberal order, although it predates this period. It perhaps finds
contemporary meaning in light of the democratic ideals of liberty and equality
thrust most famously into popular discourse during the French Revolution and,
again, finding greater global appeal following the end of the Cold War.
Nevertheless, civil society as a concept and ideal, or set of ideals, remains
one that is contested and challenged on several grounds, including its
potential to act as a ‘scapegoat’ or ‘substitute’ for the shortcomings of the
neoliberal capitalist order and
its exclusivity (Neocosmos, 2011: 377; Chatterjee, 2004: 40). In this essay,
I will attempt to discuss what civil society entails and further discuss some
of its shortcomings conceptually and practically. The corollary of this will be
to consider whether this ‘sphere’ of civil society automatically represents the
will of ‘the people’. The above framework will rely chiefly on Chatterjee’s
argument of civil society as “demographically limited” in Politics of the Governed (Chatterjee, 2004: 39), as well
as reflection on how the twinned concepts of liberalism and capitalism have
produced a largely undemocratic and oppressive project for the poor, one that
civil society – as long as it continues to operate within this ideological
framework - cannot conceptually or practically hope to resolve.
