Civil Society and Political Theory (Studies in Contemporary German Social Thought)

In this work on the theory of civil society, Jean Cohen and Andrew Arato contend that the concept of civil society articulates a contested terrain in the West that could become the primary locus for the expansion of democracy and rights. Cohen and Arato point out that "civil society" has become the catch-all term to invoke everything that communist and military dictatorships suppress, yet it has an ambiguous status under liberal democracies. To some,it indicates simply what the West already has and appears to lack any critical potential in terms of the injustices and dysfunctions of a democratic society. To others the concept belongs to early modern forms of political philosophy that are irrelevant to complex societies today. "Civil Society and Political Theory" challenges both truisms. Its theoretical analysis demonstrates the modernity and the normative / critical relevance of the concept to all types of contemporary societies and to democrats and liberals everywhere. The first part of the book discusses the reemergence of the discourse of civil society in Europe and Latin America, provides a history of the concept that takes Hegel's masterful synthesis as the starting point, and analyzes 20th century theoretical critiques by scholars such as Hannah Arendt, Carl Schmitt, Jurgen Habermas, Michel Foucault, and Niklas Luhmann. The second part attempts a reconstruction of the concept, based on Habermas' dualistic theory. Four theoretical studies form a bridge between theory and politics, by answering the criticisms raised earlier in the book and particularly through an analysis of social movements and civil disobedience in terms of the categories of civil society. In this major contribution to contemporary political theory, Jean Cohen and Andrew Arato argue that the concept of civil society articulates a contested terrain in the West that could become a primary locus for the expansion of democracy and rights. In recent years, "civil society" has become the catchall term used to invoke everything that totalitarian governments suppress, yet it has a curiously ambiguous status in liberal democracies. To some, it indicates simply what the West already has and lacks any critical potential with regard to the injustices and dysfunctions of democratic society. To others, it is a holdover from early forms of political philosophy that are irrelevant to modern complex societies. Civil Society and Political Theory challenges both of these views. Its thorough, cogent analysis demonstrates the modernity and the normative/critical relevance of the concept to all types of contemporary societies. The book is in three parts. Part I reviews the dramatic reemergence of the discourse of civil society in Europe and Latin America and provides a history of the concept that takes Hegel's masterful synthesis as its starting point. Part II analyzes four modern critiques of the concept in the work of Hannah Arendt, Carl Schmitt, Reinhart Koselleck, Jurgen Habermas, Michel Foucault, and Niklas Luhmann. Part III offers a reconstruction of the concept of civil society based in part on Habermas's discourse ethics. Its four theoretical chapters form a bridge between theory and politics, answering the critiques of part II and focusing on the key roles of social movements and civil disobedience Introduction -- The Contemporary Revival Of Civil Society -- Conceptual History And Theoretical Synthesis -- Theoretical Development In The Twentieth Century -- The Normative Critique: Hannah Arendt -- The Historicist Critique: Carl Schmitt, Reinhart Koselleck, And Jürgen Habermas -- The Genealogical Critique: Michel Foucault -- The Systems-theoretic Critique: Niklas Luhmann -- Discourse Ethics And Civil Society -- Social Theory And Civil Society -- Social Movements And Civil Society -- Civil Disobedience And Civil Society Jean L. Cohen And Andrew Arato. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [605]-743) And Index. In this first serious work on the theory of civil society to appear in many years, Jean Cohen and Andrew Arato contend that the concept of civil society articulates a contested terrain in the West that could become the primary locus for the expansion of democracy and rights. In this major contribution to contemporary political theory, Jean Cohen and Andrew Arato argue that the concept of civil society articulates a contested terrain in the West that could become a primary locus for the expansion of democracy and rights.