The Making and Unmaking of a New Democratic Space

Cornwall, Andrea

Abstract

Narratives of civil society participation often paint an overly rosy picture of engaged citizens enlivening democratic deliberation and democratizing decision-making. In this chapter, I draw on ethnographic research in a “new democratic space” in north-eastern Brazil to explore the politics of institutionalized civil society participation in health governance. Told in three instalments, this chapter traces the biography of a participatory health council through different periods of membership, leadership and local government administrations. In doing so, I juxtapose the normative assumptions of narratives of civil society with the politics and dynamics of participation in this particular political, cultural and social context.

Citation

Cornwall, A. (2017). The Making and Unmaking of a New Democratic Space. In S. E. Alvarez, J. W. Rubin, M. Thayer, G. Baiocchi, & A. Laó-Montes (Eds.), Beyond Civil Society: Activism, Participation, and Protest in Latin America (63-80). Duke University Press. https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822373353-004

• Publication Date: May 1, 2017
• Deposit Date: Nov 26, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: May 2, 2117
• Publisher: Duke University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 63-80
• Book Title: Beyond Civil Society: Activism, Participation, and Protest in Latin America
• ISBN: 9780822363255
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822373353-004