Societatea civilă: opinii, puncte de vedere, perspective Civil Society: Opinion, ViewPoints, Perspectives Section Miscelanea

Abstract

The paper herein briefly presents some representative theories and points of view on the civil society concept. The author emphasizes that the recent sociological studies and researches made obvious that the concept of civil society is one of the most frequently used in the political discourses on the phenomena of transition in post-communist countries. However, despite its frequency, the meanings it covers still remain traced by ambiguity not only for the speakers but also for the audience. Consequently, the main aim of the paper is to review some "strong" perspectives of the concept of civil society. Meanwhile, starting from one of M. Holmes' observations, the author suggests the need for conceptual rebuilding. In the final section of the paper one drafts the concept of civil society which might be seen as better adapted to the post-communist realities comprehension.