ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the concept of civil society from the perspectives of various theoretical approaches. From the outset, we adopt a flexible and dynamic understanding of civil society as a realm of voluntary activity involving the commitment of citizens in an associational framework. From this basis, the present chapter begins by describing civil society as a distinct domain between state and economy. Then it discusses the issue of the normative basis of civil society. The chapter ends with an exploration of how individualistic and community-based approaches relate to the concept of civil society.
