ABSTRACT
The Etch-A-Sketch theory of culture is not so troubled by China's alleged authoritarian culture. Cultures can change, after all, and the apparent ongoing globalization of culture and economy during the twentieth century argues against any cultural determinism. The "enchanted garden" of Chinese religion was thought to discourage ascetic secular rationalization, while family-cantered particularize impeded effective economic decisions and broader ties of trust. Market economies appear to sap the life from traditional values whenever it begins to dominate social relations. The chapter concentrates kind of self-organized voluntary group intermediate between family and state. The term "civil society" comes with a set of problematic theoretical assumptions and historical connotations, which have strong roots in a particular European philosophical tradition. The concept of civil society grows from Enlightenment ideas of a sphere of autonomous individual activity, independent from the state and the fetters of older kinship and feudal ties. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.
