The Politics of Plural Societies Lecture 8 PDF

THE POLITICS OF PLURAL SOCIETIES LECTURE 8  Understanding pluralism and plural societies What is a plural society? According to J.S Furnival, “A plural society is one in which two or more groups live side by side but separately within the same political unit (state). Each group...

THE POLITICS OF PLURAL SOCIETIES LECTURE 8  Understanding pluralism and plural societies What is a plural society? According to J.S Furnival, “A plural society is one in which two or more groups live side by side but separately within the same political unit (state). Each group has its own religion, culture, language and way of life, but they interact in the market place / economic realm to buy and sell because all groups are subjected to the economics of survival and do so at its cheapest.”  Rabushka and Shepsle “Plural Societies are characterized by cultural diversity –race, language, religion, tribe and custom; politically organised communities, and the prominence of racial conflict.”  Baytoram Ramharack “Plural societies are characterised by cultural diversity, politically organised cultural communities and the prominence of racial conflict.” The term pluralism was originally coined by J.S. Furnivall and used to explain the structure of colonial and post colonial Burmese (Myanmar), Javanese and Netherland Indies (present day Indonesia) societies. The term pluralism was expanded by later theorists and adapted to other parts of the world. For example it has been used to refer to ethnic / cultural / religious and political pluralism in places like the post colonial Caribbean. In other instances the term has been used to describe strictly socially heterogeneous societies with relatively rigid ethnic and class divisions. It has also been associated with a theory of democratic politics / or a model of democratic governance in which the political arena is seen as a marketplace for negotiating competing plural interests of individuals, groups, and classes within the society. Characteristics of plural societies: 1. Single sovereign political authority A unitary organisation in relation to the outside world by any criteria, but is internally made up of culturally diverse groups who maintain distinguishably separate ways of life. Unitary systems of government are political structures with only one level of authority. Federal systems have multiple layers of government that share political power, whereas unitary governments have multiple layers of government with the central authority retaining most political control. 2. Colonial History – These societies are held together in colonial times, since they are controlled by external authority; Artificial constructs based on imperialists’ convenience Colonial authority represents a common enemy; when power passes however, they have problems as they have to distribute the state’s resources on their own. ‘ With the destruction of imperialist rule in former colonies, competition for hegemony or control between the plural groups becomes the norm. (Daniel Bell) 3. The practice of politics almost exclusively along ethnic lines: Political organisation/mobilization linked to ethnic concerns based on systematic institutional diversity 4. Diversity of cultures wherein citizens ‘associate but by and large do not inter- mingle’ 5. A prominence of racial and often deep division and conflict; lack of cultural unit 6. Heterogeneity to the point of incompatibility between various sections/segments 7. The existence of dominant demographic minorities 8. Prone to violence; requires use of force to hold it together 9. Interdependence created in the marketplace Implications of Pluralism for Democracy Daniel Bell notes that in plural societies, democracy becomes the casualty of excessive demands. Power politics and heavy reliance on the use of force have implication for democratic governance. Because of the nature of plural societies there is the potential for the allocation of public resources overwhelmingly to the benefit of the dominant ethnic group (tyranny of the majority / minority) Ethnicity serves as the basis for the violation of the non- excludability in distribution public goods by the political system Solutions for a Plural Society The consensus approach – sees national integration reliant on modernization as the key to overcoming insular political cultures Authoritarian measures to enforce nation building reliant on effective military control Consociationalism/ Consociational democracy  Consociationalism/Consociational democracy Arendt Lijphart defines a Consociation as government by elite cartels which is designed to turn a democracy with a fragmented political culture and history into a stable democracy. Politics within a Consociational society is therefore based on cooperation and shared power among elites/ leaders of the major segments/ groups of that given society. Ideally a Consociational arrangement is recommended in societies that are not only fractured / divided, but where the survival of that society as a political unit is threatened unless such an arrangement is attempted to mitigate against the tensions among the segments.  Features of Consociationalism (a) A grand coalition government – Elite cooperation / coalition. Grand coalition, also called power sharing, means that the political leaders of all the significant segments of a plural, divided society, jointly govern the country - cooperation among the elites. (b) Segmental autonomy; this means that the decision making is delegated to the separate segments as much as possible- some level of self sufficiency (c) Proportionality : The various segments should have proportional political representation in civil service appointments, the allocation of public funds and so on.  Necessary characteristics of the Elites Accommodation of divergent interests and demands from subcultures. Ability to transcend cleavages and join the elites of rival groups in common efforts Commitment to cohesion, stability and to the maintenance and improvement of the system Understanding of the dangers of political fragmentation Favourable Conditions for Consociationalism  Cultural subgroups must be of relatively similar sizes to establish a balance of power  Segmental multi-party system must exist  Small populations can facilitate cooperation  General support for power sharing among elites and constituencies  Historical tradition of political accommodation  Relatively isolated cultural segments  The absence of extreme socio-economic inequalities  Merits of Consociationalism Promotes Power sharing and inclusivity Legitimizes the state and political decision making to a wider cross-section of the masses Consociationalism is a pathway to maintenance of unity and diversity within a fragmented context. It promotes political stability in a deeply divided society where that stability is threatened by the potential explosive nature of those divisions Compromise / consensus / conciliation / cooperation and shared power are all achieved more out of necessity among the camps /  Demerits Consociationalism is argued to be a pretense/ cover under which elites seek to consolidate power and control. For example, where the divisions are along racial / ethnic lines, these generally depend on the manipulation of race / ethnicity for advancing the class interests of the various ethnic elites. (Huntington) Moreover this notion of elite leadership questions the exercise of Democracy by the masses.  Some of the features of Consociationalism can lead to further fragmentation and political gridlock. Features such as segmental autonomy, minority veto and proportionality have the potential to foster further fragmentation. The processes of Consociationalism may be supported by legislation but rarely is Consociationalism constitutionalized. To  SOURCES  Barrow-Giles, Cynthia. Introduction to Caribbean Politics. kingston: Ian Randle Publishers, 2002.  Bell, Daniel. The Coming of a Post Industrial Society; A Venture in Social Forecasting. New York; Basic Books, 1999.  Elazar, Daniel. “Federalism and Consociational Regimes.” Publius, Vol. 15, No. 2, Federalism and Consociationalism: A Symposium, pp. 17-34: Oxford University Press,1985.  Hague, R. Harrop, M. & Breslin J. Comparative Government and Politics: An Introduction. London: Macmillan Press, 1992.  Heywood, Andrew. Politics. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2002.  Huntington,Samuel. "Reform and Stability in a Modernizing, Multi-Ethnic Society," Politikon 2, 1981  Lijphart, Arend. The Politics of Accommodation 2nd edn.; Berkeley: University of California Press, 1975.  Lijphart, Arend. 2002. “The Wave of Power-Sharing Democracy” in Andrew Reynolds, ed., The Architecture of Democracy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.  Rabushka, Alvin and Kenneth Shepsle. (1972) Politics in Plural Societies: A Theory of Democratic Instability. Columbus, OH: Charles E. Merrill Publishing.