This thesis aims to problematize the assumptions behind the glorification of civil society as a new and progressive actor in politics along with their political and ideological implications. It is argued that the assumptions behind the glorification of civil society are conceptually misleading and politically disabling. The portrayal of &ldquo / civil society&rdquo / or &ldquo / global civil society&rdquo / as a homogenous as well as inherently democratic and peaceful sphere that is opposed to an equally homogenous power-seeking state has emerged as a necessity for attributing emancipatory meanings to the concept. One of the most important implications of this conceptualization has been the taming of politics since the state, which is conventionally understood as the main site for political struggle, has apparently been devalued as a respectable political target to be fought over. Interestingly, the taming of politics through a glorified civil society has become a popular discourse shared and reproduced by both the New Right and certain sections of the Left. The thesis sheds light to the development of such a discourse at the global level as well as in Turkey within the context of the rise and spread of neoliberal globalization.

How does the international system move from an anarchic system driven by power to a global community driven by the needs/wants of the community at large? Jürgen Habermas utilizes the tenets of his Communicative Action Theory to underline the importance of communicatively based repertoire in the international system between and among states and non-state actors and the citizens themselves. How does arguing and reasoning among states and international institutions bring together legitimization and order? My research aims to analyze the movement of the international system from anarchy towards a global civil society. In doing so, I will examine Communicative Action Theory in International Relations, in particular the development of legitimization processes in international politics, the role of state sovereignty and its effect on the legitimization process of non-state actors. I argue that underdeveloped legitimization processes at the international level consist of fragile consensus building mechanisms that explain why disagreement can and often does lead to violence. However, I also contend that the international system is moving toward a more developed global civil society.

Entre 1992 e 2005, representantes de 11.921 organizações não governamentais (ONGs) participaram de conferências realizadas pela Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU) e pela Organização Mundial do Comércio (OMC). Tendo em vista que, tradicionalmente, apenas os representantes dos Estados-membros dessas duas organizações seriam admitidos, a crescente presença de atores não-governamentais nesses eventos foi considerada uma das evidências empíricas do surgimento de uma sociedade civil global. Contudo, alguns críticos afirmam que a sociedade civil não seria global, mas concentrada geograficamente em alguns países. Nosso objetivo é analisar se, de fato, existe tal concentração e quais suas principais características. Com esse objetivo, analisamos a distribuição geográfica das sedes das ONGs credenciadas para esses eventos, discutindo dois dos principais argumentos contrários à idéia de sociedade civil global: o primeiro afirma que a sociedade civil não é global porque seus atores estão concentrados em países do Norte (gerando um desnível Norte-Sul, com predomínio numérico e político de ONGs do Norte sobre as do Sul); o segundo, defende que a concentração das ONGs espelha as atuais constelações de poder em âmbito internacional (pois as ONGs seriam, predominantemente, de países localizados no eixo Europa-América Anglo-Saxônica). Considerando que todos seríamos parte da sociedade civil global, procuramos constatar de onde são as pessoas e organizações que efetivamente têm participado das discussões e decisões a respeito de questões que dizem respeito a todos (os habitantes do planeta). / Between 1992 and 2005, 11921 representatives of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) participated in conferences held by the United Nations (UN) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Given that, traditionally, only representatives of Member States of these two organizations would be admitted, the growing presence of \"nongovernmental\" actors in these events was considered one of the empirical evidence of an emerging \"global\" civil society. However, some critics argue that civil society is not global, but geographically concentrated in some countries. Our goal is to examine whether, in fact, exist that concentration and their main characteristics. With this objective, we analyzed the geographic distribution of headquarters of accredited NGOs to conferences, discussing the two main arguments against the idea of global civil society: the first asserts that civil society is not \"global\" because their actors are concentrated in North countries (creating a North-South divide, with numerical and political dominance of NGOs from the North on the South); the second claims that the concentration of NGOs reflects the current constellation of power in the international arena (as the NGOs would be predominantly of countries located in EuropeAmerica Anglo-Saxon). Whereas we would all be part of global civil society, we see where are the people and organizations that have effectively participated in the discussions and decisions about issues that concern all (the inhabitants of the planet).

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[pt] Na era da globalização, a sociedade civil é um ator cada vez mais relevante na política global e, dentre estes, a Rede Transnacional de Movimentos Sociais Via Campesina seria um exemplo dos mais emblemáticos. Esta rede, de composição heterogênea, é formada por movimentos sociais representativos de atores marginalizados em suas respectivas sociedades, unidos no propósito comum de lutar pela implantação de um novo modelo de desenvolvimento que, baseado na Soberania Alimentar, substitua o padrão neoliberal vigente. Esta dissertação visa investigar a capacidade de a Via Campesina influenciar as negociações de agricultura e desenvolvimento em nível internacional. Para tal, elegemos as suas relações com duas das principais instituições internacionais a negociarem o tema da agricultura em nível internacional: a FAO e a OMC. Além deste objetivo principal, temos a intenção de mostrar que a relevância da Via Campesina vai além da sua relação com atores estatais. Com esta intenção, abordamos a relação de influência mútua da rede com as organizações locais que a compõem; a sua interação com ONGs e institutos de pesquisa e a sua participação em fóruns sociais. Neste percurso, avaliamos os antecedentes, motivações e evolução da rede; além de mencionar as suas principais campanhas, dentre as quais, privilegiamos a Campanha Sementes contra a agricultura transgênica. / [en] In the age of globalization, civil society becomes a major player in global politics. We find between these players, the Transnational Network of Social Movements, Via Campesina, which is one of the most emblematic examples. This is an heterogeneous network formed by social movements composed by actors, which are kept apart by their own societies, united by a common purpose of fighting for the implementation of a new model of development based on the idea of food sovereignty which could replace the actual neoliberal model. This essay seeks to investigate the capacity of Via Campesina to influence the agricultural and development negotiations at the international level. For that purpose, we investigate its relationships with two of the main international institutions, which negotiate the agricultural matter at the international level: the FAO and the WTO. Further on, we want to demonstrate that the Via Campesina´s relevance goes beyond its relationship with state players. With this intention, we tackle the relation of mutual influence with the local organizations from witch they are built; its interaction with NGOs and research institutes and its participation in social forums. One way to get to this question is to evaluate the backgrounds, motivations and the network evolutions; we mention, moreover, its main campaigns, among which, we favor the Seeds Campaign against the transgenic agriculture.

A pesquisa investiga as transformações socioculturais atreladas ao desenvolvimento das tecnologias de informação e comunicação e como ocorre a mobilização da sociedade civil global por meio da internet. São analisados aspectos da dinâmica em rede que prevalece nas relações pós-modernas, com destaque para a ação política autônoma de grupos de resistência. O objeto de pesquisa é a relação entre as redes e o Fórum Social Mundial. A metodologia consiste em revisão de literatura em duas frentes principais: referências bibliográficas de caráter multidisciplinar e literatura específica sobre o Fórum Social Mundial. Reportagens, notícias, sites e vídeos também foram consultados, além da participação nos encontros. O trabalho, ao tratar de um objeto contemporâneo em transformação, oferece uma série de reflexões: como potencializar o uso da rede; como a relação com a informação e o conhecimento se altera; como as relações em rede afetam a articulação entre indivíduos e coletivos e a mobilização de movimentos de resistência; como exercer uma participação ativa na esfera pública em rede, contribuindo para uma sociedade mais participativa, livre e democrática. / The research investigates social and cultural changes linked to the development of information and communication technologies and how the mobilisation of global civil society happens throught the internet. Besides, some aspects of the network dynamic that prevail in post-modern relationships are analised, with emphasis on the autonomous political action of resistance groups. The main theme of this research is the relationship between the networks and the World Social Forum. The methodology consists in literature revision on two main fields: multi-disciplinary references and specific literature about the World Social Forum. Articles, news, websites and videos were also sources of information, besides the researcher´s participation in the events. The research, when working with a contemporary changing subject, raises a number of issues: how is it possible to maximize the use of network?; how does the relationship with information and knowledge change?; how do the networked relationships affect the articulation between individuals and groups and the mobilisation of resistance movements?; how can individuals participate actively in the networked public sphere to contribute to a more participatory, free and democratic society?

A pesquisa investiga as transformações socioculturais atreladas ao desenvolvimento das tecnologias de informação e comunicação e como ocorre a mobilização da sociedade civil global por meio da internet. São analisados aspectos da dinâmica em rede que prevalece nas relações pós-modernas, com destaque para a ação política autônoma de grupos de resistência. O objeto de pesquisa é a relação entre as redes e o Fórum Social Mundial. A metodologia consiste em revisão de literatura em duas frentes principais: referências bibliográficas de caráter multidisciplinar e literatura específica sobre o Fórum Social Mundial. Reportagens, notícias, sites e vídeos também foram consultados, além da participação nos encontros. O trabalho, ao tratar de um objeto contemporâneo em transformação, oferece uma série de reflexões: como potencializar o uso da rede; como a relação com a informação e o conhecimento se altera; como as relações em rede afetam a articulação entre indivíduos e coletivos e a mobilização de movimentos de resistência; como exercer uma participação ativa na esfera pública em rede, contribuindo para uma sociedade mais participativa, livre e democrática. / The research investigates social and cultural changes linked to the development of information and communication technologies and how the mobilisation of global civil society happens throught the internet. Besides, some aspects of the network dynamic that prevail in post-modern relationships are analised, with emphasis on the autonomous political action of resistance groups. The main theme of this research is the relationship between the networks and the World Social Forum. The methodology consists in literature revision on two main fields: multi-disciplinary references and specific literature about the World Social Forum. Articles, news, websites and videos were also sources of information, besides the researcher´s participation in the events. The research, when working with a contemporary changing subject, raises a number of issues: how is it possible to maximize the use of network?; how does the relationship with information and knowledge change?; how do the networked relationships affect the articulation between individuals and groups and the mobilisation of resistance movements?; how can individuals participate actively in the networked public sphere to contribute to a more participatory, free and democratic society?

Global social injustice and inequalities remain deeply embedded in our globalized world, often explained as a consequence of the current economic structures and institutions. Therefore, there has been an increase in arenas that attracts mobilization of the global civil society to oppose the neoliberal economic globalization and combat social injustices and inequalities. The World Social Forum (WSF) is an example of an arena that emerged with these purposes. However, research shows that there are criticism regarding the character and function of the WSF. This literature study examines the reasons behind the criticism and compares them with the WSF’s charter of principles to see if the WSF is living up to its ideals. It also analyzes if the WSF’s principles are reflected in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. This is done through a content analysis and within the framework of social justice and transnational public sphere. The study concludes that the WSF does not live up to its ideals because of a lack in organizational structure, exclusive and elitist character, and also the inequalities and inequities that are reinforced within the WSF. Moreover, the study shows that the WSF’s principles can be found among the 17 SDGs in the 2030 Agenda which can indicate that the WSF has had an indirect role in influencing global development policies.

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