Format:
Hybrid

Coordinators:
Henri Onodera, University of Helsinki, henri.onodera@helsinki.fi
Karim Maïche, University of Lapland, karim.maiche@ulpaland.fi

Abstract:
We are living through a period of rapidly exacerbating global inequalities, re-emerging authoritarian populism, environmental crises, and shrinking civic spaces. In the 2020s, some of the major events and divisive processes include the COVID-19 pandemic, climate emergency, wars in Ukraine and Gaza, coup d’etats in Africa and elsewhere, and global militarization. The changing geopolitics has accelerated the transition towards a more conflictual and complex world order that has been in the making since the turn of the millennium. The escalated global tensions have underlined the precariousness of global institutional structures of the post-World War II period, including the UN-based multilateral system and Bretton Woods financial institutions.

Against these ruptures, coupled with the globally circulating anti-“West” rhetoric, many countries in the Global South are repositioning and embracing authoritarian and illiberal states, such as China and Russia, as the more compelling partners and funders for their societal projects. For scholars, it is crucial to study what implications do the current geopolitical changes have for political participation, democratic practices and civil society spaces in the Global South. It is often assumed that the weakening of “Western/Northern” hegemony implies an ideological global crisis of liberal democracy. In this working group, we do not directly assume such causalities but, instead, seek to explore what is currently happening in actual practice.

We invite presentations that focus on the Global South and explore the limits and opportunities of political participation in an increasingly complex world order. What are the possible impacts of the shifting global power alliances for civil society actors who seek to protect their rights and build their livelihoods at the local level? Presentations can be either oral presentations or based on submitted papers. In particular, we hope to discuss how the weakening influence of Northern donor agencies, and their liberal discourse of human rights, focus on formal organizations, and conditional financial support, currently shapes new social constellations and civil society formations.

Please submit your paper abstracts, or any inquiries, to the following emails: henri.onodera@helsinkin.fi, and karim.maiche@ulapland.fi

Word count for abstract submission: 250