Cornwall, Andrea (2017) The making and unmaking of a democratic space. In: Alvarez, Sonia E, Rubin, Jeffrey W, Thayer, Millie, Baiocchi, Gianpaolo and Laó-Montes, Agustín (eds.) Beyond civil society: activism, participation, and protest in Latin America. Duke University Press, USA, pp. 63-80. ISBN 9780822363071

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Abstract

Narratives of civil society participation often paint an overly rosy picture of engaged citizens enlivening democratic deliberation and democratizing decision-making. In this chapter, I draw on ethnographic research in a “new democratic space” in north-eastern Brazil to explore the politics of institutionalized civil society participation in health governance. Told in three instalments, this chapter traces the biography of a participatory health council through different periods of membership, leadership and local government administrations. In doing so, I juxtapose the normative assumptions of narratives of civil society with the politics and dynamics of participation in this particular political, cultural and social context.

Item Type:	Book Section
Schools and Departments:	School of Global Studies > Anthropology
Depositing User:	Andrea Cornwall
Date Deposited:	16 Jun 2017 15:10
Last Modified:	16 Jun 2017 15:10
URI:	http://srodev.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/68668

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