Civil Society in South Asia

Introduction - civil society in global South, 2019

2011

Using the term civil society in the same breath as ‘conceptual ’ and ‘developing countries ’ might be regarded as bold. There is hardly any other term in social science that is more vague or Western-centric. “The history of thought over two hundred years has charged this designation with so many layers of meaning that it lacks sharpness of definition”1 bemoans Axel Honneth (1992, p. 61). “We have reached zero level in a history of semantic deterioration” states Volker Heins (2002, p. 17). Helmut Dubiel writes: “The uninterrupted boom enjoyed by the concept – despite synchronous ritual laments about its vagueness – is (...) a phenomenon in need of explanation. In spite of its limitless geographic, cultural, disciplinary and semantic dimension, it obviously still retains the aura of an unfulfilled theoretical promise ” (Dubiel, 2001, p. 135). Even though the boom enjoyed by the term ‘civil so-ciety ’ has its roots in the changes which have taken place in the East, the concept is of We...

South Asia Monitor, 2014

The paper examines how the meaning of the phrase Civil Society has undergone changes in its definition and the reasons behind the changes.

Over the past two decades the centre of gravity of the global economy and politics has shifted to Asia. The region, with its demographic, economic and political vibrancy, has changed the rules of the game globally. The region also represents extreme heterogeneity and perplexing para- doxes compared to other regions of the world; it is faced with multiple crossroads, including around poverty, illiteracy, access to water, and sanitation. It the midst of this, Asian civil society is on the rise. This viewpoint outlines its notable contributions, the multiple crossroads it faces, and future avenues.

2007

This special issue discusses the relationship between civil society and democracy in South and Southeast Asia. The case studies range from the subnational and national to the transnational and regional levels. Based on these case studies from across South and Southeast Asia, the role of civil society in a number of currently unfolding democratic and democratization processes is analyzed. This introduction discusses these various levels of engagement, after first highlighting some principal questions on the role of civil society, its definitions, and its organizational forms.

2008

Civil society has become one of the key parts of the reference framework for governance, seeking to replace traditional public action in which representative democracy is combined with bureaucratic implementation. The success of the civil-society myth contrasts with and consequently manifests itself in the problems of political and social legitimacy and representation. This book assesses the shift in the meaning and application of civil society, from citizen protests to its incorporation into public action. It examines the diversity of interpretations and uses of civil society in different political contexts and seeks to understand the reasons for its surfacing and its multiple forms in political discourse. The authors critically analyse and compare how different types of regimes in countries such as Italy, France and the UK, Poland and Czechoslovakia, South Africa, China, India and Chile have incorporated or otherwise responded to the new discourse. Analysing the surfacing and uses of civil society, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of political science, analysts, policy-makers, non-profit think tanks and organisations interested in comparative international studies on the third sector.

2004

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.