Mary Joyce, Demologue
Mary Joyce, a New Yorker currently based out of Morocco, reached out to me when blogger Umesh Shrestha (Mero Sansar) received a death threat recently over email. I have no idea how she found out. I am thinking she might have used a search engine! She gave Umesh a Committee To Protect Bloggers' visibility and the associated sense of protection.
Mary Joyce, Demologue
She also got me listed as a Nepal Watch writer at Global Voices. She sure is connected.
I think Mary is also the reason I got featured in this story in a German newspaper: "Robin Hood Im Internet".
Mary Joyce, Demologue
" Wow, it is so great to find someone who really understands what I am talking about. Usually when I talk about digital activism and using the internet to create international peer-to-peer activist networks peoples' eye glaze over and they nod but I know they don't know what I'm talking about.
So - "to perfect the model in Nepal and then to "invade" countries after that, one at a time, or in groups. Not militarily, but with activists, and the internet." - yes this is precisely what I had in mind: developing models of digital activism and then exporting them through online networks. So I will help your Nepal effort in any way I can and will watch very closely what you do."
Mary Joyce, Demologue
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Blogging and democracy talk Mary Joyce is a Fulbright scholar who keeps track of weblogs focussing on issues related to democracy. Based in Rabat, Morocco, we find out more about her, and about her site. What's your background? I graduated from Vassar College, a Liberal Arts College in New York state, with a degree in History. I've pursued my interest in international relations and development mostly though internships and volunteer work. During my internship at the United Nations Association in New York City and got to visit the UN Secretariat where I watched General Assembly and Security Council meetings at the beginning of America's occupation of Iraq (2003). Needless to say, that was an eye-opening experience: we all are familiar with the grand-standing and speech making that Foreign Ministers make for the press when they attend Security Council meetings. However, by attending meetings when the press and high officials were absent, I noticed that diplomats took a much more conciliatory tone with one another, and were extremely polite. It made me realize that the foreign policy we see in the media is not necessarily the same foreign policy-making behind closed doors. Last year I received a Fulbright scholarship from the American State Department to study democratization in Morocco. I spent last year working at the National Democratic Institute in Rabat, an American NGO. After interviewing a lot of Moroccan democracy supporters for my final report. I concluded that they are the real force of change in their country and I decided to assist them. Mary Joyce, Demologue So how did you get involved in monitoring democracy? The idea of creating a democracy website, Demologue.com, arose last spring because I wanted to post information about the attendance records of Moroccan MP's online but none of the American organizations I went to were willing to put it on their sites because they considered the information to be too sensitive. I decided that I would need to start my own site. I began building Demologue.com this past summer and DemoBlog grew out of that project. Demologue.com is an international network that uses the internet and digital resources to empower democracy activists. DemoBlog is a reblog of global democracy struggles. Mary Joyce, Demologue How do you define 'democracy'? I don't define democracy. It's really not my position to make those kind of pronouncements, but rather the responsibility of the world's citizens. Our definition is very basic: the form and actions of governments should be determined by the will of citizens. However, beyond that basic principle, we do not support or assert a particular model for democracy. I believe that my job is to inform people about differen ways of defining democracy and then let them interpret, criticize, or reject as they see fit. Mary Joyce, Demologue What countries do you think are good examples of democracy A friend of mine said that there are no democracies in the world. I believe that's true. In no country are the actions of the government fully guided by the interests of citizens. In America for example, money has distorted many of our institutions. Hurricane Katrina showed the world that many poor African-Americans are functionally disenfranchised and to some extent abandoned by their government. Also, although I am not a conspiracy theorist, I would say that the commercial interests of small groups exert too much influence in determining America's foreign policy. I am not only talking about Iraq and American oil interests. I mean, we overthrew the government of Guatemala because of the interests of the United Fruit Company. That's crazy! As you can see, I think it is much more useful to criticize and debate democracies than to congratulate them. No one's in the winners' circle yet. Mary Joyce, Demologue Can democracy exist? Or is it utopia? Another good question. I believe that true democracy can exist, but only in very specific settings, at the level of a town or village, for example, where all citizens can participate actively in the governing of the polity. A nation that is truly democratic is much harder to find. Some of the most democratic nations in the world are in Scandinavia. But this is partially because the homogeneity of these societies. Heterogeneity - or the perception of an "other" within a society - is a serious strain on democracy. I again refer to the disenfranchisement of African-Americans. However, I do believe that nations can and are becoming more democratic. If I didn't have this hope, I wouldn't be able to do my work. However, I do agree with the words of activist Saul Alinsky, who said that the struggle for democracy and human rights is like climbing a mountain without a top. As soon as you reach your goal, you realize that there is more work to be done, so you just keep climbing. I'm comfortable living my life that way. Mary Joyce, Demologue Are democracy and human rights two facets of the same issue? Hmm... I believe that democracy is a human right. If democracy is, in one sense, having control over the government that is controlling you, then I believe that every person has the right to democracy because every person has the right to control his or her own life. Mary Joyce, Demologue What impact do you expect your online activities to have? Oh, I don't want to jinx myself. I guess I would say that my hope is > that the blog and the website will connect democracy supporters from > different parts of the world with one another and that subsequent collaboration and skill-sharing will quicken the pace of citizen-led democracy around the world. Mary Joyce, Demologue What developments are you planning for the blog? Well, I am currently looking for people in touch with the international blogosphere to direct me to interesting democracy blogs. I am also looking for contributors willing to translate from other languages into English to bring a broader range of voices to DemoBlog. I am currently working with a Persian speaker and a Kiswhahili speaker who are going to help translate democracy posts from Iran and central Africa. That's quite exciting for me. I am also working with a local activist in Morocco on a guide on how to build a grassroots NGO network. and I am in contact with a > Chilean blogger about writing a guide for creating election blogs. When these resources are created, they will be posted for free download on the site The motto of both of my websites is Innovation>Evolution>Collaboration>Revolution: the idea that by creating new forms and working across nations and cultures we can speed the pace of democratic revolution around the world. Mary Joyce, Demologue Are you affiliated to any pro democracy organisation? I am willing to partner with any organization with whom I share common goals. However, I do not take money from and am not affiliated with any government institutions. I believE that my organization needs to be independent if it is to be both credible and effective. |
Mary Joyce, Demologue
In The News
CEC Rajbhandari hits back, says elections are “totally valid” NepalNews
20 persons reported killed in Nawalparasi clash
Municipal poll "invalid": former EC; Opens doors for parliamentary elections: leaders
Rights situation in Nepal one of the worst in the world: Amnesty
NHRC urges rebels to release security personnel
NC spokesperson arrested from the airport
Last tributes paid to Umesh Thapa
Cabinet assesses municipal polls, upbeat about national election: Report
US slams Nepal vote as ‘hollow’ exercise Daily Times, Pakistan
Nepal minister says no talks with Maoists, clash kills 23 (Roundup ...
Rebels attack army convoy in Nepal; 25 soldiers missing
Human Rights situation worst in Nepal: Amnesty International
Nepal to go to polls again Times of India, India
Royal loo costs more than human life in Nepal
International community's reactions'baseless : Dr.Giri
Pro-King party bags most seats in Nepal civic polls Mumbai Mirror, India
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