Civil Society

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The term 'civil society' has in recent years enjoyed something of a vogue. Social scientists in many countries have enthusiastically endorsed it as an ideal model of social organization, but from an anthropological point of view this seems odd. How can an elusive idea that is clearly European in origin - and which, on closer scrutiny, throws little light even on the current social realities in Europe - gain the status of a universal perspective model? Civil society is often presented as a distinct private sphere and equated with the voluntary or non-governmental sector. The contributors to Civil Society challenge such narrow definitions in the light of ethnographic research. They argue for a broader understanding of civil society, encompassing a range of everyday social practices, often elusive power relations and the many material constraints that influence shared moralities and ideologies. Drawing on case materials from the USA, Britain, four of the former communist countries of Eastern Europe, Turkey and the Middle East, Indonesia, China and Japan, the studies presented here demonstrate the contribution that anthropology can make to the current debate in the social sciences. They also add up to an exciting renewal of the agenda for political anthropology.