- The Ethnic Knife: A Minor Field Study of Organisations Based on Ethnicity in Ghana

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This Master Thesis states that organisations based on ethnicity should be included in the concept of civil society. The argumentation originates in that the existing definitions of civil society exclude organisations based on ethnicity. This proves to have troublesome consequences in an African context, since a large part of the associational life can be derived to ethnicity. Based on the assumption that the definition of civil society needs revising I widen the definition to include organisations based on ethnicity. This revision is supported by a theoretical discussion about deepening democracy through a representation that reflects the composition of the population. Empirically this thesis is built upon a recent field study in Ghana, where I have studied organisations based on ethnicity. These organisations have been examined from the demands that any civil society organisation is expected to fulfil. I come to the conclusion that the organisations that are based on ethnicity should be included in the concept of civil society. This study illustrates that these organisations are both pro-democratic as well an effective counter power to the state. This indicates a need of reviewing the defi...