Civil Society

Ehrenberg

Description

In the absence of noble public goals, admired leaders, and compelling issues, many warn of a dangerous erosion of civil society. Are they right? What are the roots and implications of their insistent alarm? How can public life be enriched in a period marked by fraying communities, widespread apathy, and unprecedented levels of contempt for politics? How should we be thinking about civil society?

Civil Society examines the historical, political, and theoretical evolution of how civil society has been understood for the past two and a half millennia. From Aristotle and the Enlightenment philosophers to Colin Powell''s Volunteers for America, Ehrenberg provides an indispensable analysis of the possibilities-and limits-of what this increasingly important idea can offer to contemporary political affairs.

Civil Society is the winner of the Michael J. Harrington Award from the Caucus for a New Political Science of APSA for the best book published during 1999.

Sujets

• Histoire
• History of ideas

Informations

• Publié par: NYU Press
• Date de parution: 01 mars 1999
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780814722831
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

“No one involved in the current debates over civil society—and there can only be a few serious scholars who are not—will want to miss John E hrenberg’s trenchant and thrill packed (well, for us theorists anyway) biography of this amazing idea. A major contribution to the history of political theory b y one of the brightest stars in the critical galaxy!” —Bertoll Ollman, New York University and author ofDialectical Investigations

“An absorbing study of a seminal idea in the history of political theory . . . This is a beautifully written work with an important critical perspective. It makes a genuine scholarly contribution.” —Stephen Eric Bronner, Rutgers University

Civil Society

The Critical History of an Idea

John Ehrenberg

a N E W Y O R K U N I V E R S I T Y P R E S S New York and London

N E W Y O R K U N I V E R S I T Y P R E S S New York and London

© 1999 by New York University All rights reserved

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data Ehrenberg, John, 1944– Civil society : the critical history of an idea / John Ehrenberg. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0814722083 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 0814722075 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Civil society—History. I. Title. JC336 .E35 1999 301'.09—ddc21 9840140 CIP

New York University Press books are printed on acidfree paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability.

Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

I 1

2

3

II 4

5

Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction

The Origins of Civil Society Civil Society and the Classical Heritage The Danger of Private Interest The Mixed Polity Civil Society and theRes Publica Civil Society and the Christian Commonwealth Pride, Faith, and the State The Christian Commonwealth Early Fractures Civil Society and the Transition to Modernity Virtue and Power Civil Society and the Liberated Conscience Sovereignty, Interest, and Civil Society

Civil Society and Modernity The Rise of “Economic Man” Rights, Law, and Protected Spheres The Moral Foundations of Civil Society The Emergence of Bourgeois Civil Society Civil Society and the State Civil Society and the Ethical Commonwealth The “Giant Broom” The “System of Needs” The Politics of Social Revolution

vii ix

1 4 9 19 28 30 39 49 55 57 62 70

83 84 91 96 109 110 118 121 132

v

vi |Contents

6

III 7

8

9

Civil Society and Intermediate Organizations The Aristocratic Republic Civil Society and Community The Customs of Civil Society American Lessons

Civil Society in Contemporary Life Civil Society and Communism Totalitarianism The “SelfLimiting” Revolution The Limits Are Reached Civil Society and Capitalism Pluralist Foundations The Commodified Public Sphere Dreams of Renewal Civil Society and Democratic Politics

Notes Bibliography Index About the Author

144 145 149 157 160

173 174 186 192 199 201 208 224 233

251 271 281 285

Acknowledgments

This book would never have seen the light of day if my wife Kathleen hadn’t urged me to write something “relevant.” This is often diffi- cult for political theorists, but my students’ desire to navigate a complex world also pr ovided early motivation and continuous support. I have also been helped by the interest, encouragement, and assistance of many friends and colleagues, among whom Stephen B ronner, Mark Naison, and B ertell Ollmandeservespecialmention.Finally,IwanttothankCeceliaCancellaro for getting me in—and Eric Zinner and Niko Pfund for getting me out.

vii

Introduction

For three days toward the end of April 1997, the P resident’s Summit for America’s Future focused national attention on a succession of speeches, workshops, and exhibits in Philadelphia. P resident Clinton gath- ered George Bush, Jimmy Carter, Nancy Reagan, Colin Powell, thirty gov- ernors, dozens of corporate executives, and Oprah Winfrey to urge Ameri- cans to volunteer for community service. “The campaign, which General Powell is heading, seeks to mobilize volunteers and corporate money to help two million children b y the year 2000,” reported theNew York Times. “It hopes to compensate for a retreating federal go vernment—much of the r e treating done under Mr. Bush and Mr. Clinton—by pr oviding children with mentors, safe places after school, health care, job skills and a chance to perform community service themselves.” Articulating a central theme of his administration, the P resident called on volunteers to tutor children, paint schools, revitalize communities, and strengthen habits of good citizenship and public service. The Philadelphia summit’s emphasis on local action and voluntary asso- ciations captured an important moment in a period marked b y rapid eco- nomic change, sweeping attacks on the welfare state, and general with- drawal from political engagement. I t articulated a distinctively American way of thinking about “civil society,” a notion that has figured prominently in academic and political discourse for most of the past decade. I n the ab- sence of noble public goals, admired leaders, or compelling issues, many ob- servers have charted an alarming erosion of civic spirit and a corresponding decline in the quality of public life. An increasingly distressed literature has alerted the country to the damage done by cheapened standards of behavior, rude political speech, “ road rage,” and offensive jokes. Experts worry that an o verworked, disengaged, acquisitive, and selfabsorbed population has allowed its moral connections, social engagements, and political participa- tion to atrophy. Their concern is not limited to bad manners but has spilled over into political affairs and generated many suggestions about how public

ix