Eg Phd, Mphil, Dclinpsychol

This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: • This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. • A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. • This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. • The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. • When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. The stakes of transnational civil society action NGO advocacy interventions and the farmers of Mali’s cotton zone Clare Coughlan Koita PhD African Studies – The University of Edinburgh – 2013 Declaration This is to certify that that the work contained within has been composed by me and is entirely my own work. No part of this thesis has been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification. Signed: C. Koita Contents Dedication ............................................................................. i Acknowledgements ............................................................. ii Abstract ............................................................................... iii Map of Southern Mali and Map of Field Sites ................... iv Acronyms ............................................................................. v Chapter one: Introduction ................................................... 1 The argument of the thesis and contributions to debate .................... 3 The structure of the thesis .................................................................. 4 Chapter two: Transnational civil society and African contexts: theoretical challenges ........................................ 8 Introduction ......................................................................................... 8 Global civil society ............................................................................ 12 Transnational civil society network interactions ............................... 17 Civil society in Africa ......................................................................... 26 Civil society in Mali ........................................................................... 33 Conclusion ........................................................................................ 37 Chapter three: Malian farmers and cotton in the world economy: history and context .......................................... 39 Introduction ....................................................................................... 39 The development of export-oriented cotton production in Mali ........ 42 Malian cotton: from agrarian revolution to peasant revolt ................ 50 Cotton sector reform in sub-Saharan Africa ..................................... 59 Controversy over cotton subsidies ................................................... 66 Conclusion ........................................................................................ 74 Chapter four: Methodology ............................................... 77 Research aims and objectives.......................................................... 77 Research questions .......................................................................... 78 Research strategy ............................................................................ 78 Research sites .................................................................................. 80 Fieldwork .......................................................................................... 81 Data analysis .................................................................................... 87 Chapter five: Opposition to liberalisation of the cotton sector and privatisation of the CMDT .............................. 88 Introduction ....................................................................................... 88 Cotton sector reform and producers’ responses .............................. 90 Cotton union leaders comply with implementation ........................... 97 Broader civil society groups mobilise against privatisation ............ 104 Conclusion ...................................................................................... 120 Chapter six: The campaign against US and EU cotton subsidies: the view from Mali ......................................... 123 Introduction ..................................................................................... 123 The genesis of the campaign ......................................................... 125 Rolling out the campaign: building a transnational movement ....... 129 Rolling out the campaign post-Cancùn: divisions in West Africa ... 138 Perspectives on the campaign: a success for whom? ................... 149 Conclusion ...................................................................................... 154 Chapter seven: ‘Capacity building’ Mali’s cotton farmers: national and international designs on the local arena . 157 Introduction ..................................................................................... 157 Co-operatives, entrepreneurialism and exclusion in the local arena160 Civil society schisms and crony capitalism in the national arena ... 165 Oxfam’s Cotton Programme 2007–2012: deepening downward accountability or perpetuating a flawed development paradigm? .. 176 EJF and organic cotton: justice for Malian farmers or justifying a role for Northern NGOs? ....................................................................... 182 Conclusion ...................................................................................... 196 Chapter eight: Conclusion .............................................. 199 Introduction ..................................................................................... 199 Peasants, producers, clients, and activists in Mali ......................... 201 Power and values in transnational civil society networks ............... 205 Ongoing theoretical and empirical weaknesses ............................. 213 Conclusion ...................................................................................... 215 Appendix one ................................................................... 217 Appendix two ................................................................... 219 Appendix three................................................................. 222 Appendix four .................................................................. 223 Appendix five ................................................................... 224 Bibliography ..................................................................... 225 Dedication For Leila and Jeneba In memory of Sitan i Acknowledgements This research was made possible by funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). I am very grateful for the opportunity afforded me by the ESRC studentship award. I should very much like to thank my supervisors, Prof. James Smith and Dr. Barbara Bompani, for their moral as well as academic support. A special thank you goes to Ben Young for his kind generosity in proof-reading. To all of the many people in Mali who helped me in countless ways throughout the research, to the research participants and to the research assistants, without whom this thesis would not have come about, I should like to say thank you. A special mention goes to Ba Djénéba for welcoming me into her home, and to Moctar Coulibaly, for his persistent help and encouragement. My husband, Gaoussou Koita, has accompanied me throughout the process. I should like to thank him especially for his help with the onerous task of translating fieldwork interviews from Bamanankan. I should like to thank members of my family, especially my parents, Jo and Michael Coughlan, for their tremendous and unwavering support. I should also like to give a special mention to Mary Griffiths and Carole Griffin for their generous help with childcare. A final thank you goes to Michelle Taylor, Sabine Hoehn and Carolyn Petersen, who have all been through this process, too, for their support and encouragement as friends, colleagues and fellow mums. ii Abstract This thesis examines how transnational advocacy networks operate across local, national, regional and international arenas. It takes a close look at the nature of peasant resistance and civil society in Mali, and explores how these interact with campaign and advocacy activities of Northern-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The central argument of this thesis is that these encounters have strengthened an elite, while marginalising alternative perspectives. This has happened through the collision of actors’ diverse interests, through competition between distinct framings of debate, and through differences in modes of political participation which reflect the power dynamics of the political arenas in which actors are rooted. The thesis is informed by the results of qualitative fieldwork research, which was carried out, mainly in Mali, between 2006 and 2008. By identifying the nature of connections and disconnections between actors at multiple levels, the thesis contributes to a more nuanced understanding of transnational civil society action.

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