Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the changing landscape for and role of civil society in Uganda and Rwanda, focussing upon how civil society negotiates politics of consensus building and restrictive practices of governmentality, as well as (donor) agendas towards good governance, and active citizenship.

Paper long abstract:

Civil society is positioned at the heart of drives towards good governance and (economic) development policies aimed at the global south. Critiques of these approaches have raised concerns with the politics and practices of governmentality inherent in these efforts (both the imposition of specific ideas of the 'civility' of civil society, and the delimiting of acceptable forms and practices of active/activist citizenship linked with the space for civil society), the relevance and transferability of the concept of civil society to non-Western - and, particularly, African - contexts, and concerns with such practices as a mechanism for a continued neo-colonial mission. These concerns are embodied in the landscape for civil society in many contexts, not least in post-colonial, post-conflict or post-genocide states.

This paper examines the changing landscape for and role of civil society in Uganda and Rwanda. Utilising interview and observational data, this work explores the contested terrain for - and expectations linked with - civil society and negotiations with boundaries of a politics of consensus building, (donor) agendas towards good governance and active citizenship.