ABSTRACT

At best, civil society may be described as comprising those organizations or associations that do not strictly belong to the state or the market. However, that definition may raise more questions than it answers. This entry discusses the treatment of civil society as a fuzzy but, importantly, political concept. It urges closer attention to the context in which the concept is used. It argues that how the concept has developed historically is also crucial for a fuller understanding of what it means to say that civil society does this, or impacts upon that. The entry traces the evolution of civil society from a description of political society, to the market-centered dimension of society, and finally, to its more recent positing as a separate or autonomous sphere, as distinct from the state and the market, a sphere with unique critical functions. It also draws attention to some of the negative aspects of civil, or what perhaps may better be called, uncivil society. The entry concludes with a brief discussion of what some regard as the need to expand the roles of civil associations nationally and globally.