Rethinking Civil Society

Since the inception of the third wave of global democratization in the mid-1970s, one of the most dramatic developments in both intellectual and policy circles has been the vast increase in attention to "civil society." The rediscovery of civil society can be traced back to the late 1970s in Poland, when the intellectual fathers of Solidarity applied the term to their efforts to organize people independently of the totalitarian state. The subsequent popularity of the term has been fueled by the pivotal contributions that autonomous organizations and movements have made to democratic transitions not only in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, but also in Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

Yet while mobilization against the state is often essential for ending authoritarian rule, the situation may look very different in a new and fragile democracy. A vigorous dialogue is now underway about the appropriate role of civil society after transition—how it must adapt, how it should relate to a new democratic state, and whether there can conceivably be "too much of a good thing." Scholars, intellectuals, elected officials, civic activists, and democracy-assistance organizations are all struggling to rethink the nature and boundaries of civil society, the ways in which it can act as a help—rather than a hindrance—to the consolidation of democracy, and the conditions necessary if it is to prove the former rather than the latter.

The series of four essays that follows is intended to advance this vitally important effort to "rethink civil society." Larry Diamond provides an overview of the role of civil society in building democracy; Richard Rose, focusing on the postcommunist world, examines the importance of trust for both civil society and stable democracy; M. Steven Fish addresses the special obstacles to the emergence of civil society in Russia; and Iliya Harik analyzes the role that civil society plays in efforts at democratization in the Arab world. This issue of the Journal also features a review by Susan Shell of two recent books that attempt a more theoretical examination of the concept of civil society.

We also call our readers' attention to the "field reports" by leaders of civil society organizations regularly published in these pages, including the essay in the current issue by the chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (LBH), Adnan Buyung Nasution. The creativity, dedication, courage, and skill of thousands of such organizations around the world provide one of the greatest sources of hope for the future of democracy.

The Editors, 14 June 1994