Contested Publics : Situating Civil Society in a Post-- Authoritarian Era : the Case Study of Tunisia, 2011–2013

Fortier, Edwige Aimee (2016) Contested publics : situating civil society in a post-- authoritarian era : the case study of Tunisia, 2011–2013. PhD Thesis. SOAS, University of London http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/23642 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. 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 copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination. Contested Publics: Situating Civil Society in a Post-Authoritarian Era The Case Study of Tunisia 2011–2013 Edwige Aimee Fortier Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD in Development Studies 2016 Department of Development Studies Faculty of Law and Social Sciences School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Page | 1 Abstract Periods of sociopolitical transition from authoritarian rule offer renewed expectations for more representative and accountable state institutions, for enhanced pluralism and public participation, and for opportunities for marginalised groups to emerge from the periphery. Several thousand new civil society organisations were legally established in Tunisia following the 2010–2011 uprising that forced a long-serving dictator from office. These organisations had different visions for a new Tunisia, thereby bringing into sharp relief a multiplicity of emerging conflicts. As the hierarchy of priorities was outlined, these contestations entailed a host of inclusions and exclusions from Tunisia’s public spaces in which a range of civil society actors and groups jostled to be recognised. This research looks to a remarkable period of transformation for Tunisia during which the euphoria of having brought down a dictator was tempered with the apprehension of what may follow—the “uncertain something else.” Within the context of a transition from authoritarian rule, the thesis examines the conflicts that manifested between the different elements of civil society following the uprising in early 2011. It looks to the effects of the opening up of the public space; the sociocultural and socioreligious divisions that emerged, including the rise of associational or social Islam; and the exclusionary nature of consensus in “liberal” democracies. The research underscores conceptual understandings of civil society that evolved from emphasising the conflicts among these actors to deemphasising them over time as an outcome of the unprecedented legitimacy now afforded to civil society in neoliberal frameworks. The thesis contends that conflict among these actors is neither positive nor negative, but nevertheless is consequential. Conflict serves as a productive tool to expand and maintain agonistic discursive contestation. Moreover, the preservation of a multiplicity of discursive arenas during periods of sociopolitical turmoil can sustain spaces for more democratic and representative institutions to eventually emerge. Page | 3 Acknowledgements There are many individuals who I would like to acknowledge for their support during this incredibly insightful and transformative process. I would first like to acknowledge the careful and motivational direction given to me by my primary supervisor, Dr Michael Jennings, in the Development Studies Department with the School of Oriental and African Studies. Through his steady confidence in my abilities, he has recognised how I work best as an individual student and provided me with the skills to become a confident researcher. I would next like to thank the additional members of my Supervisory Committee, Professor Gilbert Achcar in the Development Studies Department and Professor Charles Tripp in the Department of Politics. Professor Achcar guided me with a precise eye throughout the different stages of the research and graciously gave his attention to my many questions and difficult dilemmas. Professor Tripp provided me with an alternative lens encouraging me to step outside the Development Studies discipline to observe brilliant political processes at their height as the different countries in the Middle East and North Africa transitioned from authoritarian rule. I am incredibly grateful for the time each member of my Supervisory Committee gave to me during this process. I would next like to thank my examiners, Dr Maha Abdelrahman with the University of Cambridge and Dr Michael Willis with the University of Oxford for their careful attention and guidance during my revisions to ensure I showcased the critical findings of my research in Tunisia. I would also like to thank my colleagues Dr Subir Sinha and Dr Rahul Rao of the Development Studies and the International Relations Departments at SOAS for their ability to put me in touch with transformative literature and materials that were ultimately vital to my thesis. Both allowed me to greatly gain from their understandings of civil society, social movements, as well as queer politics and sexual minorities. In addition, I would like to acknowledge the support and inspiration I have received from many of my colleagues working in HIV/AIDS who helped me to conceive of this work and to see it through its various manifestations. I owe extreme gratitude to the United Nations Joint Programme on AIDS Middle East and North Africa Regional Support Team, in particular to Hind Khatib, Dr Hamidresa Setayesh, and Simone Salem. I would also like to show thanks to my colleagues at the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Dr Abdelkader Bacha, Anton Kerr, Manuel Couffignal, Kevin Orr and Tania Kisserli. I owe a special appreciation to Dr Shereen El Feki who on a warm evening in Yemen in 2007 motivated me to pursue a PhD on the Middle East and North Africa. She has accompanied me along this journey as together we met across the region to share perspectives and experiences. I am grateful for her critical insight and beautiful sense of humour. I would like to also acknowledge my friends and colleagues from my various life paths who have offered their editing skills to different chapters of this thesis, my colleague from AIDS Strategy, Advocacy and Policy (ASAP), Jeff Hoover, my friend and colleague in HIV/AIDS Dr Judy Levinson and to my friend and mentor Sue Rosenfeld in Niger for her time and kind attention. In addition, I would like to thank my friends in the Development Studies Department Marion Pechayre and Sharri Plonski for helping me along the way by offering both motivational and technical support to this thesis, but most importantly for demonstrating to me that parenting and PhDs can coexist harmoniously. I also owe special thanks to the Barclay’s BRISMES Scholarship Fund and the Fund for Women Graduates (FfWG) which both supported me in my third year of writing-up. As I assemble this conglomeration of friends and colleagues I want to personally thank each and every Page | 4 individual who kindly allowed me to interview them in Egypt and Tunisia. However, to protect their voices I am unable to name them. In particular I am grateful to my activist friends who continue to push boundaries and remind political actors of the need to prioritise the voices of marginalised populations in the Middle East. I am also indebted to my friends who are living with HIV—for always giving me their time and for including me in their networks. I must also thank the host family with whom I stayed in Tunisia for bringing me into their home and showing me a level of generosity and kindness that I will always carry. They have given me an enduring friendship through our walks, discussions, meals and laughter. I also would like to acknowledge my friend and colleague from the very first day of this journey, Dr Katherine Natanel with the Centre for Gender Studies at SOAS. She has not only guided me along this path, but also demonstrated a remarkable grace and grit in her own work that has inspired and motivated me over the years; her passion for academia has often humbled me. Not least I would like to thank my mother, Loretta Fortier, for planting the PhD seed in my head from a very young age and for nurturing this seed throughout my adulthood. Finally, I owe the most extreme gratitude to my partner Peter Hayward for the sacrifices he has made to ensure I complete this lifelong aspiration. He has continually reflected confidence in me and demonstrated through his own actions that we can all choose another life path, no matter how late. Page | 5 Table of Contents Declaration 2 Abstract 3 Acknowledgements 4 Introduction: In the Pursuit of Dignity and Freedom 8 1. The downfall of a dictator and the resurgence of civil society 10 2. Tunisia in transition: a critical approach 18 3. Methodology for the research 27 4. Structure of the thesis 38 Chapter II: Situating civil society: emancipation or modernisation 44 1. Locating civil society following the emergence of capitalism 48 2. Bringing civil society back in: neoliberal policy and “liberal” democracy 58 3. The institutionalisation of civil society and the legitimation of the NGO 66 4. Emerging contentions on civil society and the neoliberal architecture 71 Chapter III: The consolidation of the Tunisian state 80 1. Situating the Tunisian state 82 2. The consolidation of civil society 96 3. Manipulating the rules of the game: moving through an authoritarian regime 106 Chapter IV: Civil society and the opening up of the public space 124 1. Political liberalisation and the expansion of space 126 2. The resurrection of civil society 138 3. Old actors and new spaces 144 4.

Load more