Commentary

Interstitial Institutions

“…The performativity of interstitial institutions (Alexander et al, 2006) has recently been rearticulated as significant in the ongoing translations and mediations between non-civil and civil spheres (Alexander and Tognato, 2018: 10; Egholm, 2020a; Shimizu, 2018; Thumala Olave, 2018), capable of turning destructive intrusion into civil repair (Thumala Olave, 2018: 67, 73). This research highlights the border-crossing aspect of interstitial institutions and the messy and complex empirical details of existing boundary relations, emphasizing the dynamic competition between civil, non-civil, and anti-civil discourses (Alexander and Tognato, 2018: 9) in establishing civil solidarity and democracy as a way of life (Alexander and Tognato, 2018: 7).…”

“…Foundation-owned businesses in Denmark have a long history of gift-giving practices significantly impacting who and what is to be included within the common good. Stretching back to the Constitution of 1849, gift-giving practices have influenced which groups, concepts, and values have been included in the civil sphere over time, aided by the historically established partnerships between state-organized institutions and foundations (Egholm, 2020a, 2020b). The Constitution stimulated the rise of secular philanthropic organizations.…”

“…Their philanthropic activities were centered on incorporating more groups into the common good and remedying the loss of democratic rights caused by state-financed poor relief. Amending earlier religious and moral evaluations with the new concept of ‘help to self-help’ (Egholm,2020a), they embodied the question of citizenship as a constellation of political rights and economic aptitude anchored in moral values. Thus, the political work of the philanthropic endeavors was not only to identify categories of needy, purifying, once-polluted groups but also to mold the state’s principles in evaluating who and what belonged to the common good (Egholm, 2020b).…”

“…They mainly took the form of facilitating inputs without causing any notable social dramas or media-generated discussions. The concrete import can be traced through how regulatory institutions changed social legislation over time to include groups, causes, and values propelled by philanthropic gift-giving practices (Egholm,2020a). Importantly, regulatory institutions play a central role in the story of these interstitial institutions.…”

“…The Danish case highlights that foundations have a defining impact on the emergence of today’s welfare state as a ‘civil’ welfare state (Alexander et al, 2019a;Egholm,2020a). Philanthropic gift-giving is, and has been, simultaneously entangled with, and in opposition to, the ‘civil’ welfare state.…”