La società civile e le sue configurazioni nell'Africa a sud del Sahara : storia di una problematica trans-culturale

ABSTRACT ∙ Civil society and its configurations in sub-Saharan Africa. History of a cross-cultural issue ∙ This paper aims at reconstructing the historical origin of a fundamental concept, a real topos, within the contemporary social sciences, the concept of civil society. The work sheds light on the countless meanings assumed by the civil society over the centuries. It starts from John Locke’s and Thomas Hobbes’ social contract theories, and from the contributions of the fathers of the modern conception of civil society, Hegel and Gramsci, and then analyses the works of contemporary influential authors such as Naomi Chazan, René Otayek and Jean Francois Bayart, considered leading exponents of the nowadays dominant scientific approach. In this work, special attention has been payed to an interesting case study: the spreading of several civil society associations in a noticeably poor sub-Saharan State, Niger. The research carried out outlined a heterogeneous and determined civil society which fought with great determination over the last twenty years to defend its democratic values and civil rights. Croisade (Comité de Réflexion et d’Orientation Indépendant pour la Sauvegarde des Acquis Démocratiques), Fusad (Front Uni pour la Sauvergarde des Acquis Démocratiques), and Alternative-Niger offer in-depth considerations on the numerous civil society associations in Niger, mostly unknown among Westerners. Furthermore, the paper shall discuss two important organizations in Niamey: ANLC (Association Nationale de Lutte contre la Corruption) and ANDDH (Association Nationale de Défense des Droits de l’Homme). Finally, women’s associations represent a source of inspiration for some final remarks addressing future research opportunities.