Civil Society

doi:10.1017/9781316677452.020

19 - Civil Society

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 December 2020

Simon Susen

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Peter Kivisto

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Peter Kivisto: Affiliation:
Augustana College, Illinois

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Summary

The main purpose of this chapter is to provide a comprehensive introduction to the concept of civil society.To this end, it offers (1) some preliminary reflections on the concept; (2) provides an overview of influential accounts of civil society; (3) sheds light on the recent revival of the idea; and (4) provides an outline of a critical theory of civil society.In the final section, it explores the limitations of civil society, drawing attention to issues arising from its referential centrality in contemporary social theory.

Civil society, critical theory, economy, social capital, social theory, state (the state)

Simon Susen is Professor of Sociology at City University of London.He is an Associate Member of the Bauman Institute, and, together with Bryan S. Turner, is editor of the Journal of Classical Sociology.

Type: Chapter
Information: The Cambridge Handbook of Social Theory , pp. 379 - 406

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316677452.020 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2020

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References

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