ABSTRACT
The concept of ‘civil society’—considered as a political space where ‘citizens’ are selforganized independently from the state, the clanic/family structures and the profitable economy-has always been a matter of controversy in France. This is still the case today, even among the activists of the ‘antiglobalization’ movement-or, as they call themselves in France, the altermondialistes-found in trade unions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and left-wing political parties. Many of these activists are cautious of a concept that seems to be imported, and which is used in the vocabulary of the World Bank.
