Short Abstract

This panel aims to provide a platform for critical discussion on civil society’s responses to the resurgence of authoritarianism, white supremacy, and the deepening crisis of multilateralism, focusing on grassroots and collective public actions in this unprecedented political moment.

Description

Over the past few years, scholars and practitioners alike have pointed to the erosion—and in some cases, the collapse—of multilateralism and the gradual unravelling of the post–World War II international order

On the one hand, while foreign aid budgets have declined sharply, defence and military expenditures continue to rise. On the other hand, after decades of international cooperation, grounded in shared, binding principles and liberal values, the UN system and its overarching global agendas, from climate change to human rights, have come under increasing attack or outright dismissal by powerful political actors, including the United States.

Simultaneously, the rise of authoritarianism and white supremacy, coupled with the criminalisation of dissent, continues to shirk civic spaces and curtail collective actions.

Yet, in this unfolding and troubling global context, various forms of grassroots actions have emerged in response to assaults on human equality, freedom, decolonisation, and climate justice, opening new possibilities for civil society’s transformative potential.

This panel explores the notion of ‘grassroots agency’ to foster reflections and dialogues on the practices and possibilities of advancing solidarity, anti-racism, and decolonisation.

We invite contributions exploring:

• Perspectives, practices and experiences of grassroots agency and power.

• Perspectives, practices and experiences on CSO/NGO neutrality and activism.

• Perspectives, practices and experiences on academics and practitioners’ activism.

• Perspectives, practices and experiences on transnational solidarity and grassroots networks.

This panel is organised by the NGO in the Development Study Group. We welcome both empirical and theoretical contributions at various stages of development.

This Panel has 6 pending paper proposals.
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