Civil Society: History and Possibilities (original) (raw)

2004, Contemporary Political Theory

In very different ways, these books can be read as attempts within political and social theory to understand the development of civil society in particular contexts, namely in 'the South' and in the world's only superpower, the United States. It is perhaps appropriate that both are examined together, not least since September 11 and its fallout highlighted that the fate of both are intertwined. The relationship between conceptions of 'civil society' in classical European thought and its practice in the developing South is the subject of the first book. The link is apposite, since, as the editors note, the questions which affect the South, state-formation, industrialization and secularization, 'are no longer central facts of modern Western life; and therefore contemporary Western social thought is not directed towards grasping such processes. In the early modern thought of the West, however, these historical problems are absolutely central' (p. 6). The book is notable also in bringing together a highly distinguished array of contributors. The volume is split into two parts: the first traces civil society's genesis in Western political theory, while the second examines its practice in the South. The first part provides a clear overview of the main theoretical traditions within the West. The theoretical journey begins with a short essay by Antony Black, which traces the conception of civil society in pre-modern Europe, arguing, not without controversy, that its practice can be identified as early as the twelfth century. John Dunn examines John Locke's use of the term to convey a legitimate political order that is 'state liked'. Fania Oz-Salzberger focuses on Adam Ferguson's republican and activist conception of civil society, rather than the liberal views of his contemporaries Smith and Hume, and discusses its impact on German philosophy. Keith Michael Baker charts the development of a particularly novel conception of society, which arose in the 18th century Enlightenment France, one that responded to a crisis of values