What is Civil Society?
Summary:
A brief theoretical discussion followed by a list of links and resources regarding the HUGE topic of civil society.
Answer:
“Civil society” has long been a term used to describe the accumulation of voluntary social, civic, religious, and/or charitable organizations within a given political context. In this manner, “civil society” is defined in contrast to the “state.” Thus, while civil society is characterized by consent, the state is characterized by coercion. Many social scientists and political theorists, including Robert Putnam, Benjamin Barber, and Francis Fukuyama (to name a few) have discussed the merits of civil society, often arguing that there can never be “too much” of it, and that civil society always seems to be under attack by forces of the state, the Global Market, and international political organizations. Thus, civil society is predominantly thought of as a pure societal force which is too-often tainted by the whims of the market and the state.
This traditional understanding, however, often falls short in unraveling the complex intersections that exist between these different sectors, and as a result, fails to account for corruption, government collaboration, and charitable organizations and foundations that cross borders. Thus, civil society, in a general sense, should be seen as a space of discussion, debate, and collaboration. It is not simply an amalgamation of nonprofit organizations, but the terrain upon which these networks interact with the rest of society and the state.
Resources:
UCLA's Center For Civil Society offers a easy-to-understand summary of a large concept here
Chapter One of Idealist's "Guide to Nonprofit Jobs" offers a cogent analysis of nonprofits and their role in society: http://www.idealist.org/en/career/guide/firsttime/ch1.html
In addition here are some links to selected theoretical works on the subject:
Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, ch. 13-15, 22, at:
http://www.orst.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/hobbes/leviathan-contents.html
Immanuel Kant, Perpetual Peace
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/kant/kant1.htm
John Locke, Two Treatises of Government, ch 7-9, at:
http://www.lonang.com/exlibris/locke/
G.W.F. Hegel The Philosophy of Right, Third part, Second Section “Civil Society,”
at: http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/hegel/works/pr/prcivils.htm#PR182
Karl Marx and Fredrich Engels The German ideology Part 1, at:
http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1845/german-ideology/ch01.htm
and The Communist Manifesto: http://www.anu.edu.au/polsci/marx/classics/manifesto.html
