Co-building Citizenship Through Transnational Cyberpolitics

Can we speak about citizenship in non pluralistic contexts with no rule of law? If we understand citizenship as a specific contract entailing enforceable “transactions, rights and obligations” between an individual and a state (Tilly 1995), then arbitrary rule prevents us from doing so. In my paper, I will nevertheless argue that practices of self enacted citizenship do exist in those contexts, partly thanks to the use of digital media, which have allowed for the emergence of virtual deliberative arenas, which bypass state control. Now, we can expect the impact of those arenas to be especially strong in contexts of state monopoly over the media (Hoffmann 2011). But how do those virtual arenas become public arenas, that is visible and accessible to large audiences, and therefore influential? This question is crucial since access to and participation in the public sphere (where the (re)production of domination is being dealt with) are keys dimensions of citizenship. Elaborating on the Cuban case, my paper will explore how the emerging Cuban blogosphere has evolved from a “parallel discursive arena” (Fraser 1992) into an influential space to voice concerns and articulate claims, thanks to transnational “linkage dynamics” (Farrell and Drezner 2008). The visibility, hence the power of the claimants, is indeed mostly produced by the receptors (readers, commentators, supporters) of their claims. Practices of citizenship are therefore co-built by Cuban nationals, Cuban migrants and other transnational actors (journalists, politicians, activists or simple citizens), in an interactive and relatively horizontal fashion. -------------------------------------------------------------BIBLIOGRAPHY------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Farrell H. and Drezner D. (2008), « The power and politics of blogs », Public Choice 134, pp. 15–30 ---- Fraser N. (1992)« Rethinking the Public Sphere », in Craig Calhoun (ed.) Habermas and the Public Sphere, Cambridge, Mass., MIT Press, 1992, pp. 109-142 ----------------------------------------------------------- Hoffmann B. (2011) "Civil society 2.0. How the Internet changes State-Society Relations in Authoritarian Regimes. The case of Cuba", GIGA working papers n° 156, january 2011 ------------------------------------------- Tilly C. (1995) "Citizenship, identity and social history", International Review of Social History 40, pp. 1-17.