Episode 5: Civil Society

Episode 5: Civil Society

In this episode, Dr. Tessa Diphoorn and Dr. Brianne McGonigle Leyh discuss the concept of ‘Civil Society’ together with Prof. dr. Antoine Buyse and Dr. Chris van der Borgh. Prof. Antoine Buyse is professor in Human Rights in Multidisciplinary Perspective and is director of the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM). Dr. Chris van der Borgh is assistant professor at the Centre of Conflict Studies at Utrecht University and is specialized in conflict analysis, political development, and international conflict resolution.

In this episode, they discuss what the concept of ‘Civil Society’ means, how the concept has developed, travelled, and what the opportunities and challenges are of using this concept in and outside academia. The role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in civil societies is central to the discussion, as well as the notion of ‘Civic Space’.

Listen to this episode on Spotify or on Apple Podcast!

Literature list and further reading

Borgh, Chris van der, and Carolijn Terwindt. 2014. NGOs under Pressure in Partial     Democracies. Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.

Edwards, Michael. 2019. Civil Society, 4^th edition. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Keane, John. 2020. The New Despotism: Imagining the End of Democracy. Harvard: Harvard          University Press.

Putnam, Robert D., and Robert Leonardi. 1994. Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in      Modern Italy. Princeton: Princeton University Press.