Associé aux secteurs de la microfinance et de l' aide au développement, Développement international Desjardins (DID) est une composante du Mouvement Desjardins spécialisée, entre autres, en gestion de projets liés à la finance communautaire et offrant des services d'appui technique et d'investissement dans quelque vingt-sept pays en voie de développement et en émergence à travers le monde, en Afrique, en Amérique latine, aux Antilles, en Asie, en Europe centrale et de l'Est. À travers le choix de ce terrain d'observation, la présente thèse porte sur la gestion de la communication institutionnelle, l'un des champs de la communication publique, dans une organisation complexe, de type coopératif et oeuvrant à l' échelle internationale. Elle s'appuie, pour ce faire, sur les quatre courants d'études que sont la communication institutionnelle, la culture organisationnelle, la responsabilité sociale des entreprises et la gestion des enjeux sociaux ainsi que la communication de développement. Nous nous sommes donc attachée à la caractérisation de son approche de communication visant la promotion d'une formule coopérative québécoise au niveau international, ainsi qu'à l'appréciation de l'importance de certaines activités de comlTIunication à cara~tère stratégique de DID, entre 1970 et 2008, à travers l'analyse des moyens de communication utilisés, des publics visés, des messages destinés à être diffusés et des objectifs de communication recherchés par DID. Nous avons également présenté diverses propositions quant au projet de communication institutionnelle d'une organisation de type coopératif oeuvrant dans le domaine financier et participant à la gestion d'un enjeu social important au plan international, à savoir le développement, dans certains pays en émergence ou en transition économique à travers le monde.

Rural development efforts in Third World countries often fail to meet the needs of the most disadvantaged members of society. The priviledged continue to get a disproportionate share of the fruits of development. This is so in spite of the fact that development thinking has changed from the days when the poor were expected to benefit from development through the "trickle down" effect. It is now widely recognised that development should be focused on people in their local communities (human development) and not on the economy per se. To achieve this type of development requires an appropriate strategy of development, and people's/community participation is such a strategy. People's participation in development takes place through community based organisations. The organisations faciiitate the development of the human potential of members. This study investigates the conditions under which rural community participation takes place in lesotho. The Thabana-Morena Integrated Rural Development Project is used as a case study. The first objective is to determine the appropriateness of the organisations through which community participation was promoted in the project. The second objective is to isolate the political and administrative factors which affected participation in the project. Thirdly, the study tries to identify factors at the village level which influenced participation in the project. Fourthly, the study evaluates the effectiveness of the project in experimenting with participatory approaches, given that development projects are basically mechanisms for testing the appropriateness of national policies before applying them on a wide scale. Finally, a set of principles is developed on the basis of which participatory development can be facilitated. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Administration)

This thesis is concerned with civil society organisations (CSOs) and the challenges of facilitating sustainable societal transformation in Africa, focusing on the case of Ethiopia. The thesis underlines the fact that the conceptualisation of civil society is controversial. Some western scholars argue that the Enlightenment period in Europe provided the bedrock for the foundation of „modern‟ CSOs. As a result, they believed that the life patterns and „traditional‟ social organising practices of Africans, Asians and other societies of the world are incompatible with the civilised world. This outlook constitutes the mainstream view that has played an uncontested role in the decades of development in Africa. Proponents of African and „traditional‟ perspectives of civil society, however, argue that many nations in Africa have centuries-old humanism and a history of volunteerism and civic institutions, which form the backbone of their social fabric. They argue that Africa has its own rich culture and civilisation which is the bedrock for generating and developing healthy human societies and effectively functioning CSOs on the continent. These African civic cultures nurture character and intellect within communities and social spaces despite the challenges of colonialism, globalisation and other external pressures. For this reason, they challenge western-based perspectives on „modern‟ CSOs. Given the predominance of and the tension in these two perspectives, this thesis calls for a re-examination of the concepts, meanings and practices of CSOs and the exploration of the role of „traditional‟ CSOs in facilitating societal transformation in contemporary Ethiopia, Africa. In so doing, it critically examines how the tensions in various international development agendas have led to the legitimisation and proliferation of „modern‟ and western-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) interventions in Africa, and then discusses the way the civil society sector, particularly „traditional‟ CSOs, is side-lined owing to the funding formulas that regard western-based NGOs as preferred development partners. For this, the thesis takes a case-based approach to the study of „traditional‟ CSOs in Ethiopia, and examines their goals and practices leading to social transformation experiences by reviewing the political history, genesis and civic functions of CSOs and the social changes at grassroots levels. The thesis also analyses the ways in which local communities organise their „traditional‟ associations and collectively engage in social action to transform their communities. It also highlights the negative implications of the neoliberal theoretical discourses and the developmental state approaches in relation to „traditional‟ African CSOs. In conclusion, the thesis suggests critical pathways for harnessing the role of „traditional‟ African CSOs in the future societal transformation process in Africa. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)

Thesis (MPhil (Sociology and Social Anthropology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Internet has long stimulated thought and discussion around the idea of an alternative economy based on reciprocal exchange. To date, however, the benefits of this gift economy have been largely limited to the realms of cyberspace. Despite the dramatic changes in social interaction and exchanges facilitated by online networking, and the evolution of what may be referred to as a ‘high-tech gift economy’, the potential of the Internet to really revolutionize economic systems has been limited, as the gifting involved did not extend beyond the realms of cyberspace. By contrast to this global, virtual, gift economy that has developed online, this thesis explores the way in which Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), traditionally renowned for enhancing global reach, can be used to build and strengthen local exchange systems using community currencies. The research focuses specifically on the emergence of an alternative online currency, the Community Exchange System (CES), which originated in Cape Town towards the end of 2002, and has since spread to be used by 218 exchanges in 29 countries. Particular attention is paid to the pilot exchange that was launched in Cape Town, namely the Cape Town Talent Exchange (CTTE). The thesis proposes that web-based community currencies can provide an alternative to the current economic system, allowing for a relationship-centred approach to exchange that can be likened to a type of gift economy, centred on the principle of reciprocity, and fostering a spirit of abundance over scarcity. By doing so it is proposed that what Karl Polanyi (1944) referred to as the ‘great transformation’ of the 20th century, characterised by a shift in emphasis from human relationships to market price mechanisms, may be reversed in the ‘network society’ (Castells, 1996), in which principles of reciprocity and gift exchange are re-embedded in ‘relationship economics’ (Deragon, 2007). Part A provides a review of literature pertaining to online anthropology and the concept of a reciprocal gift ‘e-conomy’, the social dimension of economics, and the theory of ‘money’ and alternative currencies. Part B provides an overview of research findings pertaining to the CES as example of an alternative community currency operating a web-based platform, beginning with an introductory overview of the CES and CTTE, followed by a look at issues pertaining to reciprocity, and speculation on possible futures for this and similar web-based community currency systems. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Internet prikkel al lank idees en gesprekke oor ‘n alternatiewe ekonomie gebaseer op, ‘geskenk-handel’. Tot dusver is die voordele van hierdie ’geskenk-ekonomie’ egter beperk tot die dimensies van die kuber-ruimte. Ondanks dramatiese veranderinge in sosiale verkeer, uitruil en handel wat deur die aanlyn-netwerke bewerkstellig is, en die evolusie van wat as ‘high-tech geskenk ekonomie‘ beskryf kan word, was die potensiaal van die Internet om werklik ekonomiese sisteme om te keer, beperk. In teenstelling met die globale, virtuele geskenk/uitruil-ekonomie wat aanlyn ontwikkel het, ondersoek hierdie tesis die manier waarop Informasie en Kommunikasie Tegnologieë, tradisioneel bekend vir hul globale reikwydte, gebruik kan word om plaaslike uitruilsisteme te bou en te versterk. Die navorsing lê klem op die ontstaan van ‘n alternatiewe aanlyn-geldeenheidsisteem, die Gemeenskaps Uitruil Sisteem (‘Community Exchange System’ CES), wat aan die einde van 2002 in Kaapstad ontstaan het. Dit het sedertdien uitgebrei na 218 uitruilskemas in 29 lande. Spesiale aandag val op die loods uitruilskema wat in Kaapstad begin is, te wete die Cape Town Talent Exchange (CTTE) (Kaapstadse Talent Uitruilskema) Die verhandeling voer aan dat ‘n web-gebaseerde gemeenskapmark ‘n alternatiewe ekonomiese sisteem kan teweegbring. Dit kan lei tot ‘n benadering tot uitruil wat verhoudings-gesentreerd is, vergelykbaar met ‘n soort geskenk-ekonomie wat toegespits is op die beginsel van wederkerigheid. So kan ‘n oorvloed-bewustheid, pleks van skaarsheidsbewustheid bevorder word. Dit word aangevoer dat dit waarna Karl Polanyi (1944) as die ‘Groot Transformasie’ van die 20ste eeu verwys het, gekarakteriseer deur ‘n klemverskuiwing van menslike verhoudings na markgedrewe meganismes, kan terug verander na ‘n ‘netwerk-gemeenskap’ (Castells, 1996). Hierin is die beginsels van wederkerigheid en geskenk-uitruil ingebed in 'n tipe ‘verhoudings-ekonomie’ (Deragon, 2007). Deel A gee ‘n oorsig van die literatuur oor aanlynantropologie en die konsep van ‘n wederkerige geskenk ‘e-ekonomie’, die sosiale dimensie van ekonomie, en die teorie van ‘geld’ en alternatiewe betaalmiddele. Deel B gee ‘n oorsig van navorsingbevindings ten opsigte van die CES en CTTE as voorbeeld van ‘n alternatiewe gemeenskapsbetaalmetode wat van ‘n webgebaseerde platform gebruik maak. Dit word, gevolg deur opmerkings oor wederkerigheid (en) spekulasie oor die moontlike toekoms daarvan en van soortgelyke Internet-gebaseerde gemeenskapsbetaalsisteme.

Le recours à la stratégie du recentrage sur le cœur de métier (core business) par les entreprises fait apparaître, en discours comme en pratique, trois mouvements qui déstabilisent les ensembles bureaucratiques: la réorganisation de la grande firme en « centres de profits », la multiplication des relations inter-firmes et un changement d’ordre qualitatif dans les termes de l’échange. L’avènement et le maintien de ce que nous convenons d’appeler l’« entreprise réseau » demeurent à ce jour problématique : soit cette forme organisationnelle serait le résultat d’une adaptation unilatérale à son environnement; soit la dynamique sociale serait réglée par la confiance entre les acteurs. Notre démarche inductive et exploratoire d’un cas d’entreprise réseau québécoise veut contribuer au démontage de la notion, puis à la compréhension sociologique du phénomène. Nous constatons que cette forme d’entreprise ne peut être comprise que lorsque nous la mettons en perspective avec l’entreprise bureaucratique. / The strategic focus on the core business by bureaucratic firms contributed to the destabilization of this organizational form in three ways: the move to small « profits centers », the multiplication of exchange relations between firms and the changing nature of the relationships between them. The literature that explains the why and how of what we conceptualize as a « network firm » is still problematic. This management literature has two paradigms: either this organizational form is the result of a unilateral adaptation it’s environment ; either the social dynamic between firms is only based on trust. Our inductive research design is based on a single case of a multinational network Quebec firm. It tries to contribute to the analysis of this concept and to its sociological understanding. We conclude that this organizational form cannot be fully understood unless it is putted in perspective with the bureaucratic firm.

Cette recherche interroge les conditions de structuration et de perduration d’un engagement séparé pour les femmes dans les organisations et au sein de mobilisations agricoles bretonnes. Majoritairement composés d’exploitantes installées en couple et situés à la frontière entre associations de défense de l’égalité, cercles de sociabilités professionnelles et groupes de parole, les espaces d’encadrement agricole féminins offrent une occasion idoine de questionner non seulement l’imbrication des identités professionnelles et conjugales dans l’engagement mais également la labilité des usages rhétoriques de l'égalité et du féminisme dans des espaces professionnels non-mixtes. L’analyse de leur position dans l’espace de la représentation agricole questionne le degré d’autonomie des revendications portées au nom des agricultrices, leur influence sur les agendas organisationnels et leur effet sur la construction des carrières militantes. L’enquête s’appuie sur un dispositif cumulant une observation de quatre années des activités formelles et informelles des groupes féminins, une étude de leur documentation professionnelle, un recensement de leurs tribunes dans la presse agricole, auxquels s’ajoutent la réalisation d’entretiens avec les actrices qui y sont engagées et la constitution de données statistiques relatives aux mandats féminins dans les organisations agricoles bretonnes depuis 1990. Sur la base d’une analyse croisant les études de genre, la sociologie du militantisme et celle de la représentation professionnelle agricole, notre thèse consiste à démontrer que les groupes et mobilisations d’agricultrices forgent les contours d’une « cause de femmes » agricole mise sous tutelle des intérêts catégoriels et chevillée à l’idéal normatif de la complémentarité des sexes. En tant que réceptacles de positions professionnelles, organisationnelles et conjugales entrecroisées, les espaces de l’engagement féminin produisent des politisations ambivalentes de ces appartenances multiples, à la fois porteuses de contestation comme de reproduction des hiérarchies sexuées et de l’ordre social et politique. / This research looks into the conditions for the structuring and continuation of a separate female activism within Breton organisations and farmers mobilisations. Mainly made up of professionals living in couples and situated at the intersection between gender equality advocacy groups, professional networks and support groups, farming self-help groups are a case in point to question not only the intertwining of professional and marital identities within activism but also the lability of rhetorical uses of equality and feminism within women-only professional spaces. The analysis of their position within the farmers’ representation spaces makes it compelling to question the degree of autonomy of the claims made in the name of women farmers, their influence upon the setting of professional agendas and their impact on the development of activist careers.Evidence was collected through an apparatus which consisted in the addition of a four-year-long observation of female groups’ formal and informal activities, an analysis of their professional literature, an inventory of their opinion columns inside the farm press, to which can be added semi-structured interviews with women farmers engaged in this activism and the setting up of statistical data about female mandates within Breton farm organisations since the 1990s. Drawing on an analysis which mixes gender studies, sociology of militancy and studies of farming professional representation, this PhD aims to demonstrate that women farmers groups and mobilisations shape the features of a farming “women cause” although it is subordinated to corporatist interests and seen through the lenses of the normative ideal of complementarity between the sexes. Being a repository of interlinked professional, organisational and matrimonial standpoints, female activism spaces lead to the ambivalent politicisation of plural belongings. These multiple affiliations can be a catalyst for protest as well as a way to reproduce sexual hierarchies and social and political order.

This study investigates the use of violence by Salafi-Oriented Movement Organisations. Drawing mostly from Social Movement Theory’s “political opportunity” and “resource mobilisation” thesis, it uses the Northern Nigerian-born Boko Haram (BH) to study how such organisation evolved and used different forms of violent activisms for goal attainment. On that basis, three main research questions were formulated: (1) What socio-political structures enabled the evolution of the organisation in Northern Nigeria? (2) Under what conditions did BH begin to use armed violence against the Nigerian State? (3) What specific forms of armed violence did BH use and how were such forms of strategy sustained within the organisation? In answering these questions, the study relied on data collected through one-on-one semi-structured interviews from religious leaders in Northern Nigeria (particularly those within the Salafi networks); selected politicians in the areas where the group operates; some Nigerian security personnel, and on focus group interviews from victims of BH violence. In addition, the study also drew from other documentary sources (videos and audio recordings from different leaders in the group), and from internal correspondence between BH leaders and those of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Along the primary data, these documentary sources showed a striking historical continuity about the emergence and activities of BH from inception, up until they began using violence as a means for goal attainment. The data showed that while the emergence of the group was dependent on specific Northern Nigerian socio-political and mobilisatory structures, the adoption and sustenance of different forms of violence in the group were re-enforced by the interactions between the group’s leadership and the Borno state government; the violent response of the Nigerian government to the group's initial anti-state rhetoric; the mobilisation of different material resources (accruing from the organisation’s interactions and collaborations with similar international Salafi networks) and the internal dynamics in the group (competition between the different factions in the organisation). These inter-related conditions provided the windows of opportunity upon which both the establishment of the group, as well as the internal logic for the development and justification of different forms of violence were sustained within the organisation. / Religious Studies and Arabic / D. Litt. et Phil. (Religious Studies)

Le recours à la stratégie du recentrage sur le cœur de métier (core business) par les entreprises fait apparaître, en discours comme en pratique, trois mouvements qui déstabilisent les ensembles bureaucratiques: la réorganisation de la grande firme en « centres de profits », la multiplication des relations inter-firmes et un changement d’ordre qualitatif dans les termes de l’échange. L’avènement et le maintien de ce que nous convenons d’appeler l’« entreprise réseau » demeurent à ce jour problématique : soit cette forme organisationnelle serait le résultat d’une adaptation unilatérale à son environnement; soit la dynamique sociale serait réglée par la confiance entre les acteurs. Notre démarche inductive et exploratoire d’un cas d’entreprise réseau québécoise veut contribuer au démontage de la notion, puis à la compréhension sociologique du phénomène. Nous constatons que cette forme d’entreprise ne peut être comprise que lorsque nous la mettons en perspective avec l’entreprise bureaucratique. / The strategic focus on the core business by bureaucratic firms contributed to the destabilization of this organizational form in three ways: the move to small « profits centers », the multiplication of exchange relations between firms and the changing nature of the relationships between them. The literature that explains the why and how of what we conceptualize as a « network firm » is still problematic. This management literature has two paradigms: either this organizational form is the result of a unilateral adaptation it’s environment ; either the social dynamic between firms is only based on trust. Our inductive research design is based on a single case of a multinational network Quebec firm. It tries to contribute to the analysis of this concept and to its sociological understanding. We conclude that this organizational form cannot be fully understood unless it is putted in perspective with the bureaucratic firm.

Rural development efforts in Third World countries often fail to meet the needs of the most disadvantaged members of society. The priviledged continue to get a disproportionate share of the fruits of development. This is so in spite of the fact that development thinking has changed from the days when the poor were expected to benefit from development through the "trickle down" effect. It is now widely recognised that development should be focused on people in their local communities (human development) and not on the economy per se. To achieve this type of development requires an appropriate strategy of development, and people's/community participation is such a strategy. People's participation in development takes place through community based organisations. The organisations faciiitate the development of the human potential of members. This study investigates the conditions under which rural community participation takes place in lesotho. The Thabana-Morena Integrated Rural Development Project is used as a case study. The first objective is to determine the appropriateness of the organisations through which community participation was promoted in the project. The second objective is to isolate the political and administrative factors which affected participation in the project. Thirdly, the study tries to identify factors at the village level which influenced participation in the project. Fourthly, the study evaluates the effectiveness of the project in experimenting with participatory approaches, given that development projects are basically mechanisms for testing the appropriateness of national policies before applying them on a wide scale. Finally, a set of principles is developed on the basis of which participatory development can be facilitated. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Administration)

This thesis is concerned with civil society organisations (CSOs) and the challenges of facilitating sustainable societal transformation in Africa, focusing on the case of Ethiopia. The thesis underlines the fact that the conceptualisation of civil society is controversial. Some western scholars argue that the Enlightenment period in Europe provided the bedrock for the foundation of „modern‟ CSOs. As a result, they believed that the life patterns and „traditional‟ social organising practices of Africans, Asians and other societies of the world are incompatible with the civilised world. This outlook constitutes the mainstream view that has played an uncontested role in the decades of development in Africa. Proponents of African and „traditional‟ perspectives of civil society, however, argue that many nations in Africa have centuries-old humanism and a history of volunteerism and civic institutions, which form the backbone of their social fabric. They argue that Africa has its own rich culture and civilisation which is the bedrock for generating and developing healthy human societies and effectively functioning CSOs on the continent. These African civic cultures nurture character and intellect within communities and social spaces despite the challenges of colonialism, globalisation and other external pressures. For this reason, they challenge western-based perspectives on „modern‟ CSOs. Given the predominance of and the tension in these two perspectives, this thesis calls for a re-examination of the concepts, meanings and practices of CSOs and the exploration of the role of „traditional‟ CSOs in facilitating societal transformation in contemporary Ethiopia, Africa. In so doing, it critically examines how the tensions in various international development agendas have led to the legitimisation and proliferation of „modern‟ and western-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) interventions in Africa, and then discusses the way the civil society sector, particularly „traditional‟ CSOs, is side-lined owing to the funding formulas that regard western-based NGOs as preferred development partners. For this, the thesis takes a case-based approach to the study of „traditional‟ CSOs in Ethiopia, and examines their goals and practices leading to social transformation experiences by reviewing the political history, genesis and civic functions of CSOs and the social changes at grassroots levels. The thesis also analyses the ways in which local communities organise their „traditional‟ associations and collectively engage in social action to transform their communities. It also highlights the negative implications of the neoliberal theoretical discourses and the developmental state approaches in relation to „traditional‟ African CSOs. In conclusion, the thesis suggests critical pathways for harnessing the role of „traditional‟ African CSOs in the future societal transformation process in Africa. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)