Surviving Against All Odds : Civil Societies’ Persistence in the Context of Civil War – A Qualitative Case Study of Civil Society in Sudan

The world is experiencing a plethora of conflicts today. The central challenge, and focus of this study, is to understand how civil society manages to persist under these extreme pressures, and why that persistence matters so profoundly for civilians during conflict. Previous literature collectively highlights a paradox: civil society is most essential precisely when it is most under threat, and while we understand its roles, we know far less about how it endures. Based on previous literature, a theoretical framework has been conceptualised based on three levels: Micro (based on embeddedness), meso (based on nationwide coordination) and macro (based on transnational connections). A qualitative research design is applied using process tracing. The case of Sudan offers insights to civil society mobilisation in deeply divided societies, humanitarian response in situations of state collapse and local–national–international connections in conflict-ridden areas. The paper shows that embeddedness, nationwide networks and transnational connections appear in Sudan. Argued throughout the paper is that these three conditions are important for a persistent civil society during civil war; neither one of them is sufficient on its own – they need to be understood together. However, this paper alone cannot provide evidence for a causal relationship between the three conditions and civil society persistence. Taken together, this study calls for increased focus on civil society and its role during conflict.