Social Movements, Civil Society, and the Problem of Sovereignty

In: Praxis international: a philosophical journal, Band 4, Heft 3, S. 266-283

Abstract

Several recent social movements have revived the theme of autonomy & self-defense of civil society against the state. Their efforts to create postbourgeois civil societies, however, have been blocked by the problem of sovereignty. The new movements seek to defend civil society's autonomy against the institutionalizations of state & economy. However, they require institutional embodiments to preserve their own gains. All the new movements tacitly recognize that civil society & the modern state are complementary, & thus are compelled to pursue dualistic strategies. An analysis of the concept of sovereignty suggests forms that can be taken by arguments against the centralization of sovereignty. Some considerations for strategies leading toward pluralism are outlined. 1 Figure. W. H. Stoddard