University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Communication Studies Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research Communication Studies, Department of 8-2013 Toward a Global Organizational Public Sphere: Non-governmental Organizing and Democratic Legitimacy in a Postmodern World Rachel Stohr University of Nebraska - Lincoln Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/commstuddiss Part of the Communication Commons Stohr, Rachel, "Toward a Global Organizational Public Sphere: Non-governmental Organizing and Democratic Legitimacy in a Postmodern World" (2013). Communication Studies Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research. 25. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/commstuddiss/25 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Communication Studies, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Communication Studies Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. TOWARD A GLOBAL ORGANIZATIONAL PUBLIC SPHERE: NON- GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZING AND DEMOCRATIC LEGITIMACY IN A POSTMODERN WORLD by Rachel A. Stohr A DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Major: Communication Studies Under the Supervision of Professor Damien S. Pfister Lincoln, Nebraska August, 2013 TOWARD A GLOBAL ORGANIZATIONAL PUBLIC SPHERE: NON- GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZING AND DEMOCRATIC LEGITIMACY IN A POSTMODERN WORLD Rachel A. Stohr, Ph.D. University of Nebraska, 2013 Advisor: Damien S. Pfister This dissertation refigures Jürgen Habermas’s public sphere theory for the contemporary world in which organizations are key actors. I develop a concept of the “global organizational public sphere” to explore the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in narrowing the democratic legitimacy gap currently prevailing in the international arena. A case study of the NGO, the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), gauges the extent to which WEDO (and, by extension, NGOs) serves as a global intermediary that performs the double task of translating needs from the grassroots to global institutions and adapting international policies to local communities. Three problematics structure my analysis: (1) the problematic of voice; (2) the problematic of rationality; and (3) the problematic of the organization and society. Interpreted both as problematics of organizational communication and problematics of rhetorical translation that are amplified in global civil society, each problematic reveals the promise and tensions of the global organizational public sphere. This project illuminates implications for organizational rhetoric, transnational feminist organizing, and the role of communication in mediating the crisis of legitimacy. Insights generated from this dissertation suggest that the participation of NGOs strengthens legitimacy in global governance systems. Specifically, NGOs comprise the necessary informal processes of opinion formation that generate acceptable standards of legitimacy in the eyes of citizens, even if it is not the same type that is conferred upon nation-states through elected bodies. iv DEDICATION To cosmopolitan citizens who organize for social justice: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation benefitted from the contributions of each one of my talented committee members: Damien Pfister, Carole Levin, Carly Woods, and Kathy Krone. I extend special thanks to my exceptional advisor, Damien Pfister, for encouraging me to develop a scholarly identity that emphasizes the transdisciplinary scope of the field. Damien, I value the time and energy you spent reading, discussing, and critiquing my work. My dissertation and the experience of writing it would not have been the same without you. The marvelous Carole Levin personifies a feminist ‘ethic of care.’ Carole, thanks for recognizing the importance of women mentoring women, and for having warmly treated me like one of your own advisees. I am touched by your kindness, generosity, and friendship. Carly Woods offered me invaluable insights and encouragement throughout the writing process. Carly, thanks for being a wonderful scholar and mentor. Finally, Kathy Krone’s graduate seminars introduced me to some of the literature that informs this study’s rationale. Thanks, Kathy, for your thoughtful questions in my proposal meeting and for your service on my committee. I am forever indebted to Jan Schuetz, Karen Foss, Pam Lutgen-Sandvik, and Karma Chávez for their “behind the scenes” contributions to this and various other projects. Thank you, all, for checking in on me, for your willingness to talk through (and reframe!) my hardships, and for your continuing support and camaraderie. I have learned that true role models are hard to come by. I am incredibly fortunate to have your example to emulate throughout my career. I am grateful to the staff, students, and my colleagues in UNL’s Department of Communication Studies for the time we shared learning, disagreeing, laughing (and vi crying—sometimes simultaneously!), and resisting over the past four years. A few of you have become dear friends: Audra Nuru, you were my best friend, most loyal defender, and closest confidante. I did always know you were on my side. Thank you. I love you with a statistically significant percentage of my Interpersonal Heart. Sing along with me: “Don’t you know things will change, things will go your way… if you hooolllllddd on for one more day!” Zantel Nichols, you have had my back from day one. Thanks for accepting me for who and where I am at any given moment, and for reminding me that when people show me who they are, I should believe them. Amy Arellano and Christina Ivey, thanks for being my “voluntary kin.” Keep your eyes open, fight the good fight, and don’t mess with Texas! Sarah Steimel, I appreciate the listening, commiserating, and perspective-validating you did for me. Jessy Ohl, you were the best office mate and buddy a person could have. Jenna Stephenson-Abetz, I am grateful for your friendship and our lunch dates spent laughing at the silliness … “Agency!” I could not have accomplished this feat without my long-distance support system and cherished group of friends: C. Vail Fletcher, Jessica Nodulman, Marianne Leonardi, Jennifer Sandoval, Elizabeth Dickinson, Claudia Anguiano, Krystal Zaragoza, and T.J. Martinez. Thank you all for loving and understanding me. Last but never, ever least, many thanks to my unconditionally caring and supportive family: Mom, Jillian, and Pearl, you are my whole world. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Toward a Global Organizational Public Sphere ……………………………………...1 1.2 Critiquing, Extending, and Organizing Habermas’s Theory ………………………..18 CHAPTER 2: “ORGANIZATIONAL RHETORIC”AS A LENS 2.1 A Brief History of Rhetoric …………………………………………………………32 2.2 The “Fourth Great System of Rhetoric” …………………………………………….39 2.3 Method of Analysis ………………………………………………………………….44 CHAPTER 3: VOICE 3.1 Introduction: The Problematic of Voice …………………………………………….56 3.2 Privileging Expert Voice in Early WEDO Discourse: Who Is Able to Speak ……...62 3.3 Passivating Local Voice in Early WEDO Discourse: How Others are Spoken Of …75 3.4 Engaging Third-Wave Feminist Voices in Contemporary WEDO Discourse ……...82 CHAPTER 4: RATIONALITY 4.1 Introduction: The Problematic of Rationality ……………………………………...100 4.2 Re-Conceptualizing Rationality in WEDO’s Climate Change Initiative ………….106 4.3 Refining Experience(s): Mediating Bureaucracy and Creativity to Focus Attention on Climate Change Impacts ……………………………………………………………….112 4.4 Refining Expertise: Mediating Reason and Emotion to Mitigate Climate Change Effects ………………………………………………………………………………….127 4.5 Refining Knowledge: Mediating Technical and Experiential Know-how to Cultivate Public Expertise on Sustainable Development ………………………………………...138 CHAPTER 5: “THE ORGANIZATION AND SOCIETY” viii 5.1 Introduction: “The Organization and Society” …………………………………….148 5.2 Drawing on Difference as a Resource in Global Civil Society …………………….155 5.3 Developing and Implementing Global Norms in Civil Society ……………………169 CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION 6.1 Project Summary …………………………………………………………………...182 6.2 Interpretations and Broader Implications …………………………………………..184 6.3 Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research …………………………………193 REFERENCES ………………………………………………………………………..197 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Toward a Global Organizational Public Sphere The onerous task of representing the interests of diverse stakeholders has been and continues to be a concern for organizations in democratic societies. This complex and political process is further complicated in an increasingly global civil society devoid of democratic institutions. As the contemporary world simultaneously comes together and pulls apart, it orients our attention to recent changes that have occurred in the relationships among organizations, states, and citizens (Falk, 1999). Today, the compression of time and space has resulted in a deterritorialization of governance that poses new challenges to public deliberation and democratic decision-making. These challenges might be refigured as questions for critical exploration: What is the role of organizations in a global