UNIVERSITY OF DAR ES SALAAM

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

PS 337: CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE STATE

COURSE OUTLINE FOR 2021/2022 ACADEMIC YEAR, SEMESTER I

Instructor:
Kelvin Munisi (PhD)

Introduction
This course is about civil society and the state. It familiarizes students to the theoretical and
practical debates related to the dynamics of relationship between civil society and the state.
The course begins with conceptual and theoretical issues that illuminate the understanding of
the meaning, nature and functions of civil society, and then descends to the historical
development of civil society institutions at global and domestic levels. From the historical
perspective, the students are encouraged to examine the internal functioning of civil society
organizations in Tanzania and other African countries. Specific attention will be paid to the
policy and legal framework that guides the formation and functioning of civil society
organizations in Tanzania. Finally, the course shall introduce the students to the current and
popular third Sector view of civil society and how justifiable it is in the context of Tanzanian
civil society.

Course Objectives: We expect that at the end of the course, the students should first be able to
extricate the concept of civil society, and to examine the root concepts which build up the
meaning of ‘civil society’ such as civil, civility, how the society becomes civil, and which
society is civil. Secondly, they should be able to sketch up the philosophical development of
the idea of civil society from the classical era to the 20 th century. Third, the students should be
able to trace the major historical landmarks that encouraged the emergence and flourish of
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on global and domestic political arenas. Fourth, the
students should be able to examine how policy and legal frameworks facilitate (or hinder) the
functioning of civil society in Tanzania. Fifth, students should be able to discuss the nature of
state-civil society relationship in Tanzania. Sixth, students should be able to assess the efficacy
and credibility of CSOs in carrying out their democratic functions in Tanzania. Seventh,
students should be able to account for and assess the emerging approaches in conceptualizing
the role of civil society in Tanzania today. Specific attention is placed on the rise of the third
sector approach and how it relates to the current Global Civil Society (GCS) movement.

Course Delivery: The course shall be run through face-to-face and virtual interaction between
instructors and students as well as among students themselves. There will be two compulsory
lectures and one seminar session for every student. The lectures will be on Thursday 10:00 -

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12:00 hours at Nkrumah Hall. Each student is by mandate required register for the course
including ARIS, LMS, and seminar registration before the third week of the semester. The
interaction opportunity provided by the online course activities such as chats, forums, and
wikis should be used for serious learning only.

Course Assessment: The coursework shall account 40% while the final university examinations
will account 60% of the total grade. The coursework includes a mid-semester literature quiz
(10%), the test (15%), Seminar presentation and write up (10%), seminar participation and
attendance (5%). All assignments must be submitted to the course instructors within one
week after presentation.

Ethical Standards and Conduct: Issues including plagiarism, forging text, and any form of
using others’ (or own) works without attribution constitute academic offense. The penalty for
such conduct is a zero grade for all the concerned group members.

Course Readings: The list of compulsory readings has been provided after each topic/subtopic.
These compulsory readings are available for download from http://lms.udsm.ac.tz/course.
However, to get access to the LMS course, students must be registered in the UDSM-LMS, get
a username, which will be your registration number, a password, and supply an enrollment
key, which is “society” to get enrolled in the course. Students are also encouraged to read
extra readings provided and visit credible Open Educational Resources (OERs) Repositories
for accessing recent evidences.

Course Contents

Topic Theme/ cases and focus Basic Readings

Topic 1: 1.1. The meaning of Civil Society Larry Diamond (1994),
Meaning and 1.2. Other Related Concepts (civil, civility, Susan Shell (1994), John
Origins of Civil Civil Society Organizations) Harbeson (1994), Michael
Society Bratton (1994), Gellner
(1991)
1.3. Origins of Civil Society Don E. Eberly (ed) (2000),
Larry Diamond (1994),
Topic 2: 2.1. Classical Philosophers (Socrates, Plato, Locke (1988), Barker, Sir
Philosophical Aristotle) Ernest (1906), Aristotle
Foundations of (1999)
Civil Society 2.2. Middle Ages Philosophers (St. Benoit Smullyan (1938),
Augustine Hippo (354 to 430), Thomas
Aquinas (1225–1274), Martin Luther (1483-
1546), John Calvin (1509-1964)
2.3. Social Contract Philosophers (Nicole Benoit Smullyan (1938),
Machiavelli (1439-1527), Thomas Hobbes
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 (1588–1679), John Locke (1632-1704), Jean-
Jacques Rousseau (1712 - 1778)
2.4. Renaissance Philosophers (David Hume
(1711-1776), Emmanuel Kant (1724-1804)
2.5. The 19th Century Philosophers (George
Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831), Alexis de
Tocqueville (1805-1859), John Stuart Mills
(1806-1873), Karl Marx (1818–1883)
2.6. The 20th Century Philosophers (Antonio
Gramsci (1891-1937), John Rawls (1921-2002)
Topic 3: The 3.1. The changing States in Africa (primary
Concept of state, merchant state, predatory state, the
Civil Society in transitional state)
Africa 3.2. Relevance and Applicability of the
Concept
Topic 4: 4.1. Theoretical Debate on State-Civil
Dynamics of Society Relations (Liberal, Marxist, and
State-Civil Feminist perspectives)
Society 4.2. State Civil-Society Relations in
Relations in Tanzania
Tanzania  Pre-Colonial era (tribal arrangements)
 Colonial period (emergence) Period
 Post-independence to 1980s (suppression)
 1990s to 2000s (expansion) Period
 After 2000, the emerging relations
Topic 5: The 5.1. The Major forms of Civil Society
Current Civil Organizations in Tanzania
Society in 5.2. The Legal and Policy Framework for
Tanzania Civil Society in Tanzania
Topic 6: Civil 6.1. The role of Civil Society in Democratic
Society and Transition
Democratizatio 6.2. Comparative Analysis: Cases from
n in East Africa Uganda and Kenya
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David Hume (1748),
Pawel Zeleski (2008); Also
read, Unit 18 Civil Societies:
Social Movements, NGOs
and Voluntary Action,
, Brian Underson (2003),
Andreas Follesdal (1982)
F.K. Drah Oquaye (1996),
Patrick Molutsi (2002), John
Harbeson (1994), Michael
Bratton (1994), Walter Gam
Nkwi (2006), Herberson,
Rothchild and Chanzan
(1994), chapter 6,7, and 13,
Michael Bratton (1994)
&(1988)
Robert C. Post and Nancy
L. Rosenblum (2001), pp. 1-
25, Michael Bratton (1994)
CIVICUS (2011), Country
Report for Tanzania, John S
Saul (1974),
Siri Lange, Hege Wallevik
and Andrew Kiondo (2001),
Civil Society in Tanzania,
Kabhele, Matlosa (2004),
Ng’wanza Kamata (2004),
URT (2001), NGOs Policy,
Robert Makaramba (2007),
Evod Mmanda (2012),
NaCoNGOs (2008)
Post and Rosenblum (2001),
Genevieve Kyarimpa
(2007), Mhina and
Ndumbaro (2002), Charles
 N. Bwana (2010), Andrew
Kiondo (2010), Karuti
Kanyinga (2010)
Topic 7: Civil 7.1. The Rise of the Third Sector Approach Mary Kaldor (2003b), Shirin
Society as a Madon (1999), Muetzelfeldt
Third Sector in and Smith (2002), Annete
Tanzania and Freise (2009)
7.2. Strength, Weakness, and Challenges Issa Shivji (2004), Markus
Sabadello (2011), Dragica
Mikavica (2011), Paul
Wapner (1995), Wild, Leni
(2006), Defourny and
Patrick Develtere (1999);
Aga Khan Development
Network (2007),

List of Course Readings

Adam B Seligman (1992), The Idea of Civil Society, Macmillan Inc., New York, 1992 [Book not
available-Rec]
*Aga Khan Development Network (2007), The Third Sector in Tanzania, The Third Sector In
Tanzania: Learning More About Civil Society Organizations, Their Capabilities Challenges,
Chapters by Ndumbaro (2007), Introduction; Ndumbaro and Kiondo(2007), Defining
the Non-profit Sector in Tanzania; Ndumbaro and Mvungi (2007), Estimating the Size
and Scope of the Non-Profit Sector in Tanzania, Robert Makaramba (2007), The Legal
Context for the Non-Profit Sector in Tanzania, also available at
http://www.akdn.org/publications/civil_society_tanzania_third_sector.pdf
*Aga Khan Development Network (2007), Enhancing the Competence and Sustainability of
High Quality CSOs in Kenya, Aga Khan Development Network
*Amitai Etzioni (1973), The Third Sector and Domestic Mission, Public Administration Review,
Vol. 33 (4), pp. 314-334
*Amos Mhina and Laurean Ndumbaro (2002), Civil Society, Mass Media, and Elections in
Tanzania, A paper presented at the Workshop on Transition to Democracy in East
Africa, at Novotel Mount Meru- Arusha, 25-26 July 2002
*Ana Arana (2005), How the Street Gangs took Central America, Foreign Affairs
*Anders Sjögren (1998), Civil Society and Governance in Africa - an Outline of the Debates,
Working Paper no 1 from Research Programme Cities, Governance and Civil Society in
Africa, Nordiska Afrikainstitutet
*Andreas Follesdal (1982), John Rawl's Theory of Civil Disobedience, Masters' Essay,
University of Oslo
*Annette Zimmer and Matthias Freise (2009) Bringing Society Back In: Civil Society, Social
Capital, and Third Sector, Muenster: Department for Political Science, University of
Muenster

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*Aristotle (1999), Politics, (Traslated by Benjamin Jowett ), Kitchner: Batoche Books
Benoit Smullyan (1938), A History of Political Theory, Part 2 and 3, American Political Science
Series, Student Outlines [private copy available on request]
*Brandes, Nikolai and Bettina Angels (2011). “Social movements in Africa, Stichproben. Wiener
Zeitschrift für kritische Afrikastudien Nr. 20 (11) Jg. 1-15
*Bratton (1994),Civil Society and Political transition in Africa, Institute for Development
Research Vol. 11 (6)
*Brian C Underson (2003), The Antipolitical Philosophy of John Rawls, Public Interest No. 151,
Spring 2003
CIVICUS (2006) Civil Society Iindext_ Analytical Country Report for Uganda
CIVICUS (2011) Civil Society Iindext_ Analytical Country Report for Tanzania
*Crawford Young (1994). ʺIn Search of Civil Societyʺ, in: John Harbeson, Donald Rothschild
and Naomi Chazan (Eds.), Civil society and the state in Africa, Boulder: Lynne Rienner,
pp. 33-50
*David Hume (1748), Of the Original Contract, available at
th
http://www.constitution.org/dh/origcont.htm ( accessed 11 August, 2012).
Don E. Eberly (Ed.) (2000), The Essential Civil Society: The Classical Essay, Oxford: Rowman and
Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Chapter 1[private copy available on request]
*Dragica Mikavica (2011), Building Civil Societies to Build Peace: International Frameworks at
Work in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Proceedings of IDIA2011, the 5th International
Development Informatics, also available at http://ebookbrowse.com/building-civil-
society-fox-rivera-sp1-pdf
*Eboe Hutchful (1996), Civil Society Debate in Africa, International Journal, Vol. 51, (1), pp. 54-
77

Ernest T. Mallya (2009), Civil Society Organizations, Incompetent Citizens, the State and
Popular Participation in Tanzania, Journal of African Elections, Vol. 8 (2), pp. 103-
125[private copy available in PS 610 Course Reader Vol. 2]
*Evod Mmanda (2012), NGO Work in Tanzania: Highlights of Relevant Facts, Policies and
Laws, KEPA’s Working Paper No. 25, Helsinki: KEPA, retrieved from www. KEPA.FI,
22 August 2012
*F.K. Drah and Mike Oquaye (1996), The Concept of Civil Society in Africa: A View Point,
Proceedings of the conference organized by the Institute of African Studies and the
Fredric Elbert Foundation
Gellner, E (1991), Civil Society and Political Renaissance in Africa, in John Harbeson, Donald
Rothschild and Naomi Chazan (Eds.), Civil society and the state in Africa, Boulder: Lynne
Reinner
*Genevieve Kyarimpa (2007),Civil Society and Consolidation of Democracy in
Uganda_Prospects for Consolidating Democracy, REDET (2005), Democratic
Transitions in East Africa, Dar es salaam: E&D Limited
*Godwin R. Muranga (2000), Civil Society and Democratic Experiences in Keya, aFRICAN
sOCIOLOGICAL rEVIEW, Vol 4 (1) *Issa Shivji (2004), Reflections on NGOs in

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 Tanzania: what we are, what we are not, and what we ought to be, Development in
Practice, Volume 14 (5, ) pp. 689-695),
*Jacques Defourny and Patrick Develtere (1999), The Social Economy: The Worldwide Making
of a Third Sector (Chapter 1), in Jacques Defourny, Patrick Develtere and B. Fonteneau
(eds), L’économie sociale au Nord et au Sud,
*John Harbeson (1994), Civil Society and Political Renaissance in Africa, John Harbeson,
Donald Rothschild and Naomi Chazan (Eds.), Civil society and the state in Africa,
Boulder: Lynne Rienner, pp. 33-50
*John Makumbe (1998), Is there Civil Society in Africa? International Affairs Vol. 74, (2), pp. 305-
317
*John Locke (1988), Two Treatises of Government, New York: Cambridge University Press.
*John S Saul (1974), The State in Post Colonial Societies Tanzania, Socialist Register
Kabhele, Matlosa (2004), Civil Society and Democratization in Tanzania, in Shumbane Karume
(ed), Dilemmas of Political Transition: Towards Institutionalization of Multiparty Democracy
in Tanzania, EISA Report No. 7, Johannesburg: EISA [private copy available on request]
*Katusiimeh, Mesharch (2004), Civil Society Organizations and Democratic Consolidation in
Uganda, African Journal of International Affairs
*Larry Diamond (1994), Rethinking Civil Society Towards Democratic Consolidation, Journal of
Democracy, Vol. 5, pp.3-17
Laurean Ndumbaro (2001), Defining the Non-Profit Sector: The Tanzania Experience, A paper
presented on the Johns Hopkins Comparative Non-Profit Sector and East Africa Civil
Society and Governance Projects, al Livingston Hotel: Bagamoyo, 30 November – 1 st
December 2001(also available in PS 610 Course Reader Vol. 2)
Mahmood Mamdani(1995). ʺA Critique of the State and Civil Society Paradigm in Africanist
Studiesʺ, in: Mahmood Mamdani and Ernest Wamba‐dia‐Wamba (Eds.), African Studies
in Social Movements and Democracy, Dakar: CODESRIA, pp. 602‐616 [Book available at
East Africana-Rec].
*Manuel Castells (2008), The New Public Sphere: Global Civil Society, Communication
Networks, and Global Governance, The Annals of The American Academy, Paper No. 616
*Markus Sabadello (2011), ICT for Global Civil Society_Conceptualizing Civil Society and Its
Global Perspective, Institute for Social and European Studies, Also avilable at
http://projectdanube.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ICTs-for-a-Global-Culture-of-
Peace.pdf
Mary Kaldor (2003), Global Civil Society: An Answer to War, Malden, MA: Blackwell [Book not
available-Rec]
*Mary Kaldor (2003b). The Idea of Global Civil Society, International Affairs, Vol. 79(3), pp. 583-
593
Michael Bratton (1988), Beyond the State: Civil Society and Associational Life in Africa, World
Politics, Vol 41 (3), pp. 407-430.
*Michael Bratton (1994), Civil Society and Political Transition in Africa, IDR Reports Vol. 11 (6),
Institute for Development Research

6
*Michael Goodhart (2005), Civil Society and the Problem of Global Democracy, in
Democratization, Vol.12 (1), Page 1-21
*Michael Muetzelfeldt and Gary Smith (2002), Civil Society and Global Governance: The
Possibilities for Global Citizenship, Citizenship Studies, Vol. 6 (1), Page 55-75
*Michael W. Foley and Bob Edwards (1996), The Paradox of Civil Society, Journal of Democracy
Vol.3 (3), Page 38-52
*Muhittin Ataman (2003), The Impact of Non-State Actors on World Politics: A Challenge to
Nation-States, Alternatives: Turkish Journal of International Relations, Vol.2 (1), pp. 42-64
*Nancy Jackson Spalding (1996), State-Society Relations in Africa: An Exploration of the
Tanzanian Experience, Polity, Vol. 29, (1), pp. 65-96
*National Council of NGOs (2008), The Non Governmental Organizations Code of Conduct,
Dar es Salaam_National Council of NGOs
Ng’wanza Kamata (2004), Civil Society Organizations in Tanzania: A Classification, A Paper
Presented at the Comparative Non-Profit Sector Project Workshop organized by the
UDSM-Department of political Science and Public Administration and The John
Hopkins University Centre for Civil Society Studies at Landmark Hotel: Dar es salaam,
9 July 2004(also available in PS 610 Course Reader Vol. 2- Consult Shumbusho)
*Olaf Corry (2010), Defining and Theorizing the Third Sector, in Rupet Taylor (ed.), Third
Sector Research, New York: Springer Publishers
*Patrick Molutsi (2002), Civil Society in Southern Africa, Mwesiga Baregu and Christopher
Landsberg (eds.), From Cape to Congo: Southern Africa’s Evolving Security
Architecture, Boulder, Colorado: Lynne Reinner Publishers, pp. 159-169
*Paul Wapner (1995), Politics beyond the State: Environmental Activism and World Politics,
World Politics Vol. 47, pp.311-340
*Pawel Zaleski (2008), Tocquville on Civil Society: A Romantic Vision of Dichotomy Structure
of Social Reality, Felix Meiner Verlag, vol. 50
*Peter Wanyande (1997)The Media as Civil Society and Its Role in Democratic Transition in Kenya,
Africa Media Review, Vol. 10 (3)
REDET (2010), Democracy and Competition in East Africa, Read Chapters by Charles N.
Bwana (2010), The Role of Civil Society and Mass Media in Elections: Civil Society and
Political Competition in Uganda; Andrew Kiondo (2010), Civil Society and Political
Competition in Tanzania; Karuti Kanyinga (2010), Contesting the Political Space: Civil
Society and Transition to Democracy in Kenya (REDET Publications-Private copy may
be availed on request)
*Research on Poverty Alleviation (2007), Tanzanian Non-Governmental Organizations-Their
Perceptions of Their Relationships with the Government of Tanzania and Donors, and
Their Role in Poverty Reduction and Development, Dar es salaam: Mkuki na Nyota
Publishers
*Reynaldo R. Ty (2011), Human Rights, Conflict Transformation, and Peace Building: The
State, NGOs, Social Movements, and Civil Society—The Struggle for Power, Social
Justice and Social Change, Doctoral Dissertation, Northern Illinois University

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*Robert C. Post and Nancy L. Rosenblum (2001), (eds), Civil Society and Government, New
Jersey: Princeton University Press (Introduction), pp. 1-25
*Robert Makaramba, (2004), The Legal Position of the Non Profit Sector in Tanzania; A Paper
Presented at the Comparative Non-Profit Sector Project Workshop organized by the
UDSM-Department of political Science and Public Administration and The John
Hopkins University Centre for Civil Society Studies at Landmark Hotel: Dar es salaam,
9 July 2004 (also available in PS 610 Course Reader Vol. 2- Consult Shumbusho)
*Robert Makaramba, (2007), The Legal Context of the Non Profit Sector in Tanzania; in
Laurean Ndumbaro and Saida Yahya-Othman (eds), The Third Sector in Tanzania:
Capabilities and Challenges of Civil Society Organizations; Dar es salaam: UDSM
*Robert D. Putnam (1994), Social Capital and Public Affairs, Bulletin of the American
Academy of Arts and Sciences, Vol. 47, (8) ,pp. 5-19
Robinson, M. and G. White (1997). The role of civic organizations in the provision of social services:
towards synergy. Helsinki: World Institute for Development Economics Research.
*Sarah White (19, 99)NGOs, Civil Society and the State in Bangladesh , Development and
Change Vol. 30, 307_326.
*Saras Jagwanth (2003), Democracy, Civil Society and the South African Constitution: Some
challenges, Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Discussion Paper No. 65,
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
*Sheri Berman (1997), Civil Society and the Collapse of Weimer Republic, World Politics, Vol.
49, No. 3, pp. 401-429
*Shirin Madon (1999) International NGOs: Networking, Information Flows and Learning,
Journal of Strategic Information Systems, Vol. 8 (3), Page 251–261
*Simone Chambers and Jeffrey Kopstein (2001) Bad Civil Society, Political Theory, Vol. 29 (6),
pp.837-835
*Siri Lange; Hege Wallevik and Andrew Kiondo (2001), Civil Society in Tanzania, Research
Report No.6, Bergen: Chr. Michelsen Institute of Development Studies and Human
Rights
Steven M. Delue and Timothy M. Dale (2008), Political Thinking, Political Theory, and Civil
Society, 3rd Edition, New York: Longman [Book not Available-Rec]
*Susan H. Williams (1997), A Feminist Reassessment of Civil Society," Indiana Law Journal, Vol.
72 (2), pp. 414-447, also available at:
http://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ilj/vol72/iss2/5
Susan Shell (1994), Conception of Civil Society, Journal of Democracy, Vol.5 (3)
*Thomas Carothers (1999), Civil Society: Think Again, Foreign Policy, Winter 1999/2000,
Washington: Carnegie Endowment
*Thue Makubuya and Marunda (2002) Study on the Civil Society in Uganda, NORAD
*United Republic of Tanzania (2002) The Non-Governmental Organizations Act, Act Number
24 of 2002
*United Republic of Tanzania (2001) The National Policy On Non-Governmental
Organizations (NGOs), Dar es Salaam: Presidents’ Office
*Valerie Bryson (2003), Feminist Political Theory, Palgrave: Macmillan

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*Walter Gam Nkwi (2006), The Dilemma of Civil Society in Cameroon Since 1990: Which Way
Forward?, African Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 9 ( 1)
*Wild, Leni (2006), Strengthening Global Civil Society, A paper presented on international
conference held at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Study and Conference Centre
in Italy, July 2005
*Wild, Leni (2006), Strengthening Global Civil Society; A paper Presented at an international
conference held at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Study and Conference Centre
in Italy, July2005