Do civil society organizations promote democracy? The case of the ultra-Orthodox in Israel

Many empirical and theoretical studies, from Alexis de Tocqueville to the present day, have pointed to a direct connection between the development of civil society organizations and the democratization of societies and countries. Although various scholars have argued to the contrary, the prevailing assumption in the literature is that civil society organizations promote democratization. In this research, which forms part of my doctoral thesis, I explore this question in the context of the civil society organizations that have begun to arise in ultra-Orthodox society in Israel in the last two decades. I examine whether these ultra-Orthodox civil society organizations promote the democratization of ultra-Orthodox society in Israel. This research was conducted using two main research methods: semi-structured in-depth interviews with 40 managers and founders of ultra-Orthodox civil society organizations and a survey of 144 ultra-Orthodox civil society organization activists. The findings of the survey and semi-structured in-depth interviews show that in the case of ultra-Orthodox society in Israel, not only do civil society organizations not promote democratic and liberal values, but they actively employ their civil activities to preserve ultra-Orthodox society as a distinct community. Ultra-Orthodox civil society organizations were established in response to the perceived failure of the government to address social and civil issues in ultra-Orthodox society, prompted by dissatisfaction with the ultra-Orthodox parties’ handling of these needs and born out of a desire to influence secular Israeli society. The theoretical contribution of this research lies in its critical stance toward previous studies that found a connection between civil society organizations and the promotion of democracy and liberal values. Moreover, by viewing the issue through the lens of ultra-Orthodox society in Israel, it is possible to generalize on the connection between religion and civil society as conceived by post-secularists such as Talal Asad and Mahmoud Saba and to challenge accepted basic assumptions in the study of civil society. I offer a novel look at civil society organizations in conservative and religious societies and suggest regarding them, not as promotors of democracy but rather as a means of preserving the status quo that does not contradict the structures and mechanisms of the community.