prof. dr. Michael Bernhard (University of Florida).
The literature on civil society recognizes that civil society plays different roles in institutional history of any nation. In a recent piece (2020), M. Bernhard discussed four different modalities of civil society – insurgent, institutionalized, uncivil, and firewall. Insurgent civil society is product of authoritarian rule and arises when social movements and other forms of independent organization contest authoritarian rule. Institutionalised civil society is the realm of normal interest group politics under democratic rule. Competing interests organize and mobilize to attain their interests by exercising influence over the exercise of power by the institutions of the state. Uncivil society is composed of organizations and movements that seek to install or maintain authoritarian rule. Under democracy this may include anti-system elements that try to overthrow democracy or semi-loyal organizations that attempt to weaken and undermine democratic norms and institutions. Under authoritarian rule this may include social movements that support the regime, transmission belt organizations, or government-organized non-governmental organizations (GONGOS). Finally, firewall civil society is associated with periods of democratic backsliding and deterioration. When forms of horizontal and vertical accountability associated with democratic rule are enfeebled, civil society organizations can exercise forms of social accountability in support of democracy. In this talk the potential relationships between civil society and state memory institutions will be explored in depth.