Publication details
Shaping Bilateral Relations from below: Civil Society, Actors and their Motivation in the Czech-German Context
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| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | Civil society plays a pivotal role in shaping inter-state relations by serving as an informal mediator of cultural and historical legacies, as well as the innovative and creative potential inherent in respective nations (Nye, 2019). Through their concerted efforts, civil society organizations (CSOs) not only cultivate interest in their nation of origin but also substantively enhance its soft power. Furthermore, both localized and nationwide grassroots initiatives often create transnational networks, foster bilateral dialogues, and serve as important communication channels or catalysts for mutual cooperation. They frequently contribute to the resolution of historical traumas and contemporary disputes (Feldman, 2012). Czech-German relations, formerly loaded with the burden of traumatic past have, in recent years, been officially lauded as "the best in history." Yet, does this hold true at the civil society level? Why do its stakeholders choose to participate in Czech-German relations, and what factors either impede, sustain, or bolster their initiatives? In this article, we provide insights derived from a corpus of over 50 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with representatives from Czech and German civil society organizations. Our research reveals that their motivation predominantly stems from non-economic sources. Therefore, we categorize and scrutinize these motivating factors by employing a typology aligned with motivations for volunteerism proposed by Clary and Snyder (1999). Our overarching objective is to contribute to the scholarship in this underexplored domain and, within a broader context, to the discourse surrounding the augmentation of soft power and cross-border cooperation within international relations. |