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The “revival” of civil society in Central Eastern Europe: New environmental and political movements

The “revival” of civil society in Central Eastern Europe: New environmental and political movements The idea of civil society is one of the oldest and most contested in Western political and sociological thought. Among the social sciences, anthropology has been the discipline that has prompted the boldest critiques of the concept. This paper argues that the “revival” of civil society in Central and Eastern Europe in one particular field—that of environmental activism—has been contingent with the outcomes of EU enlargement policies. I introduce the case study of one of the most complex and contested transport development projects in Central Eastern Europe: the Budapest Ring Road. I maintain that within the EU enlargement project alternative forms of political power have been built from below and that they eventually come to compete with the state (and local governments) to influence decision-making processes. These forms, to be individuated in the emergence of environmental activism, take shape at local, state and transnational levels and aim, although often contradictorily, at restituting political agency under the condition of lowering public participation in decision-making processes. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Human Affairs Springer Journals

The “revival” of civil society in Central Eastern Europe: New environmental and political movements

Torsello, Davide
Human Affairs , Volume 22 (2) – Mar 20, 2012
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References (27)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2012 by © Versita Warsaw and Springer-Verlag Wien
Subject
Social Sciences; Sociology, general; Quality of Life Research; Middle Eastern Culture
ISSN
1210-3055
eISSN
1337-401X
DOI
10.2478/s13374-012-0016-1
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The idea of civil society is one of the oldest and most contested in Western political and sociological thought. Among the social sciences, anthropology has been the discipline that has prompted the boldest critiques of the concept. This paper argues that the “revival” of civil society in Central and Eastern Europe in one particular field—that of environmental activism—has been contingent with the outcomes of EU enlargement policies. I introduce the case study of one of the most complex and contested transport development projects in Central Eastern Europe: the Budapest Ring Road. I maintain that within the EU enlargement project alternative forms of political power have been built from below and that they eventually come to compete with the state (and local governments) to influence decision-making processes. These forms, to be individuated in the emergence of environmental activism, take shape at local, state and transnational levels and aim, although often contradictorily, at restituting political agency under the condition of lowering public participation in decision-making processes.

Journal

Human Affairs – Springer Journals

Published: Mar 20, 2012

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