ABSTRACT
Whoever dares to talk about civil society today, at least in German and certainly in translation, must always begin by clarifYing what is meant: is the concept of civil society (ZivilgesellschqflJ identical to the concept of bourgeois society (bUrgerliche GesellschqflJ or to that of liberal, contemporary society? Or does it merely imply a political programme for the future? Emphasizing the role of social movements as possible agents in processes of social transformation neither limits nor simplifies the topic, but may offer a novel perspective which, despite historical and political experience granting little ground for optimism, is not free from utopian elements. In any case, the example of the women's movement, focusing on women and gender, complicates the resolution of social problems in such a way that sociological theory can provide only unsatisfactory answers.
