From civil war to civil society? Aid, NGOs and hegemonic construction in Mozambique

This dissertation examines the issue of international humanitarian assistance in conflict and post-conflict environments from the perspective of Gramscian hegemonic analysis, with a particular focus on the role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in hegemonic construction. Using the post-conflict transition in Mozambique between 1992 and 1997 as a case example, the study highlights the central function of NGOs in seeking to build social consensus in support of peacetime political and economic power arrangements that were consistent with global ordering priorities in the 1990s, and discusses a number of practical strategies employed to this end. The study argues that while the long-term impact of NGO efforts to consolidate peacetime power structures in Mozambique is as yet unclear, the financial/institutional affiliations and programmatic content of NGO actions in the country attest to their emerging role as transnational hegemonic agents.; The study is divided into three main sections. The first section discusses the growth of the humanitarian NGO sector in the 1990s, and related patterns of institutional integration, politicisation and empowerment. This is linked to conceptual developments surrounding the notion of civil society, and its increasing policy relevance to peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction programmes. The section then reviews mainstream interpretations of hegemony and civil society from the standpoint of international relations theory, and points to the superior empirical and analytical relevance of the Gramscian approach. The second, empirical section of the study provides a historical review of the dynamics of hegemonic construction in Mozambique, detailing in particular the key efforts made to re-order the state, economy and society in the years prior to and following the formal peace settlement of 1992. The largely supportive role of the NGO sector during this period is analysed in depth. The final section of the study offers a structured assessment of the hegemonic role of NGOs in Mozambique from the Gramscian standpoint, and looks ahead to appraise the eventual hegemonic implications of recent trends in humanitarian policy. The study closes with a brief discussion of prospects and potential roles for NGOs in Mozambique to facilitate more progressive forms of long-term postwar development.