Exploring Civil Society: Political and Cultural Contexts - Softcover

"If ideas about civil society are to survive the confusion that threatens to submerge them, we need more books like this - critical, rigorous and respectful of different voices and traditions. "Exploring Civil Society makes a timely and valuable contribution to the debate." -Michael Edwards, Director, Governance and Civil Society, Ford Foundation and author of "Civil Society

This volume explores how the idea of civil society has been translated in different cultural contexts and examines its impact on politics worldwide. Comparing and contrasting civil society in Latin America and Eastern Europe, Western Europe and the United States, Africa and South Asia, and the Middle East, the contributors show that there are multiple interpretations of the concept that depend more on the particular political configuration in different parts of the world than on cultural predilections. They also demonstrate that the power of civil society depends less on abstract definitions, and more on the extent to which it is grounded in the context of actual experiences from around the world.

This book includes some of the biggest names in the area such as Mary Kaldor, Ronnie Lipschutz and Helmut Anheier.