Subpolitics and the Campaign against Barclays' Involvement in South Africa

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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Subpolitics and the Campaign against Barclays' Involvement in South Africa. / Skovgaard, Jakob.

In: Moving the Social, Vol. 54, 2016, p. 37-58.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Harvard

Skovgaard, J 2016, 'Subpolitics and the Campaign against Barclays' Involvement in South Africa', Moving the Social, vol. 54, pp. 37-58. https://doi.org/10.13154/mts.54.2015:37-58

APA

Skovgaard, J. (2016). Subpolitics and the Campaign against Barclays' Involvement in South Africa. Moving the Social, 54, 37-58. https://doi.org/10.13154/mts.54.2015:37-58

Vancouver

Skovgaard J. Subpolitics and the Campaign against Barclays' Involvement in South Africa. Moving the Social. 2016;54:37-58. https://doi.org/10.13154/mts.54.2015:37-58

Author

Skovgaard, Jakob. / Subpolitics and the Campaign against Barclays' Involvement in South Africa. In: Moving the Social. 2016 ; Vol. 54. pp. 37-58.

Bibtex

@article{d36df90ccfec4f4dbb7fd4a82cd6d28c,
title = "Subpolitics and the Campaign against Barclays' Involvement in South Africa",
abstract = "In this article I examine the context for the British bank Barclays{\textquoteright} decision to disinvest from South Africa in 1986, with special attention to the impact of the Anti-Apartheid Movement{\textquoteright}s campaign against the bank. The 18-year long campaign against Barclays – the largest bank in South Africa at the time and the fourth largest foreign-owned corporation – points to significant developments within the fields of corporate social responsibility and the potential influence of social movements on multinational corporations. Applying the theoretical approach of subpolitics as developed by Ulrich Beck in combination with the later subdivision by Boris Holzer and Mads P. S{\o}rensen into a passive and an active form, it is possible to analyse the decisions of both anti-apartheidactivists and Barclays on similar terms. The conclusions drawn in this articleemphasise the idea that economic decisions taken by multinational corporations may have unintended political consequences and, furthermore, that the awareness of this phenomenon has contributed to the development of corporate social responsibility. Finally, I suggest that the campaign against Barclays generated public attentiveness towards the social responsibility of businesses.",
keywords = "Faculty of Humanities, corporate social responsibility (CSR), new social movements, anti-apartheid, disinvestment, subpolitics, corporate social responsibility (CSR), new social movements, anti-apartheid, disinvestment, subpolitics",
author = "Jakob Skovgaard",
year = "2016",
doi = "10.13154/mts.54.2015:37-58",
language = "English",
volume = "54",
pages = "37--58",
journal = "Moving the Social",
issn = "2197-0386",
publisher = "Klartext Verlag GmbH",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Subpolitics and the Campaign against Barclays' Involvement in South Africa

AU - Skovgaard, Jakob

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - In this article I examine the context for the British bank Barclays’ decision to disinvest from South Africa in 1986, with special attention to the impact of the Anti-Apartheid Movement’s campaign against the bank. The 18-year long campaign against Barclays – the largest bank in South Africa at the time and the fourth largest foreign-owned corporation – points to significant developments within the fields of corporate social responsibility and the potential influence of social movements on multinational corporations. Applying the theoretical approach of subpolitics as developed by Ulrich Beck in combination with the later subdivision by Boris Holzer and Mads P. Sørensen into a passive and an active form, it is possible to analyse the decisions of both anti-apartheidactivists and Barclays on similar terms. The conclusions drawn in this articleemphasise the idea that economic decisions taken by multinational corporations may have unintended political consequences and, furthermore, that the awareness of this phenomenon has contributed to the development of corporate social responsibility. Finally, I suggest that the campaign against Barclays generated public attentiveness towards the social responsibility of businesses.

AB - In this article I examine the context for the British bank Barclays’ decision to disinvest from South Africa in 1986, with special attention to the impact of the Anti-Apartheid Movement’s campaign against the bank. The 18-year long campaign against Barclays – the largest bank in South Africa at the time and the fourth largest foreign-owned corporation – points to significant developments within the fields of corporate social responsibility and the potential influence of social movements on multinational corporations. Applying the theoretical approach of subpolitics as developed by Ulrich Beck in combination with the later subdivision by Boris Holzer and Mads P. Sørensen into a passive and an active form, it is possible to analyse the decisions of both anti-apartheidactivists and Barclays on similar terms. The conclusions drawn in this articleemphasise the idea that economic decisions taken by multinational corporations may have unintended political consequences and, furthermore, that the awareness of this phenomenon has contributed to the development of corporate social responsibility. Finally, I suggest that the campaign against Barclays generated public attentiveness towards the social responsibility of businesses.

KW - Faculty of Humanities

KW - corporate social responsibility (CSR)

KW - new social movements

KW - anti-apartheid

KW - disinvestment

KW - subpolitics

KW - corporate social responsibility (CSR)

KW - new social movements

KW - anti-apartheid

KW - disinvestment

KW - subpolitics

U2 - 10.13154/mts.54.2015:37-58

DO - 10.13154/mts.54.2015:37-58

M3 - Journal article

VL - 54

SP - 37

EP - 58

JO - Moving the Social

JF - Moving the Social

SN - 2197-0386

ER -

ID: 173132411