Paper short abstract:

Civic innovation presupposes a strong state which citizens can challenge when aiming to bring about societal change. But what if that state is weak, had to be fled from, or has a parallel state? The paper explores civic innovation dynamics in such contexts, drawing on DRC, Turkey, and refugee camps.

Paper long abstract:

From a political perspective, civic innovation presupposes the existence of a set system, most often one strong state, which active citizens will challenge more or less radically with the aim to bring about societal change. A clear target towards which the citizens can shoot their arrow. But what if this target is already shattered, out of focus, or if there are several of them?

This paper adds to the mosaic of civic innovation responses, focusing on three configurations of the 'citizens without a state' context:

- The Democratic Republic of Congo as a weak state (post-conflict setting), in which non-governmental organizations take over governance functions of, sometimes shattered or illegitimate, local to national institutions;

- Refugees now based in camps in Greece, Jordan and Lebanon, in which they are sometimes treated as 'clients' rather than citizens;

- The Kurdish region in Eastern Turkey (low-intensity conflict), where citizens are caught between opposing parallel state-like sets of strong institutions.

Reviewing these cases, we confront civic innovation and the associated beacons of positive thinking and innovation to intricate crisis situations, highlighting the concept's potential, but also limitations. How do these 'citizens without a state' view their citizenship, what are their expectations from 'authorities', how do they frame and forward their claims? In answering these questions, the paper directs our gaze beyond the typical understanding of citizenship, and uncovers arrow trajectories which are not always straightforward.