Civil Society in Asia: In Search of Democracy and Development in Bangladesh (Law, Ethics and Governance) - Hardcover

Hudson, Wayne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0754622754 ISBN 13: 9780754622758

Publisher: Routledge, 2003

Synopsis

In East and Southeast Asia, the creation of civil society is a crucial yet most difficult issue. Europeans have had the luxury of centuries in a slow-moving world characterised by weak governments in which the foundation institutions, norms and values of civil society could ferment and develop. Asia, however, faces this task when a nation's currency can devalue in seconds, destabilising its government, and when states have far more effective means of surveillance, suppression and terror. This book examines these issues and shows that a better understanding of civil society in the Asian context is central to promoting contemporary political, social and economic reform in Asia. It will appeal to students and teachers of politics, law and sociology because it provides new perspectives on how to understand civil society drawing on Asian examples, as well as indications for rethinking what civil society means in Asia. Individual chapters combine theoretical and empirical issues in a way which fills a major gap in the literature. Henceforth, works about 'civil society' will need to take more account of the Asian evidence and Asianists will need to have a clear idea of what civil society in Asia means.

About this title

About the Author

David C. Schak, Griffith University, Australia and Wayne Hudson, Griffith University, Australia Contributors: David Schak, Wayne Hudson, Chua Beng-Huat, William Case, Meredith L. Weiss, Azyumardi Azra, Juree Vichit-Vadakan, Isagani R. Serrano, He Baogang, Robert P. Weller, Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao, Hyuk-Rae Kim, Ross E. Mouer, Yoshio Sugimoto.

Review

'This book makes a significant contribution to the study of civil society. It demonstrates that the Asian experience of civil society has been very different from the dominant western forms and that there is no universal civil society. The volume is not only timely because of the huge interest in civil society but also goes a long way in satisfying the urgent need for comparative study of different societal models of civil society. The chapters in this excellent volume provide strong theoretical and empirical analysis of the diversity of Asian civil societies.' Gerard Delanty, University of Liverpool, UK 'An exceptionally informative, historically grounded, empirically rich and theoretically sophisticated collection of essays which offers the latest thinking on the status of civil society in nine nations from South Korea down to Singapore.' Thomas Gold, University of California, Berkeley, USA 'The country studies bring out the huge diversity of civil society experiences in this vast continent, and make this book a compelling read for anyone interested in contemporary Asia.' Journal of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association '...a timely evaluation of the development of civil society in Asia...this is a valuable addition to the literature on civil society...' Political Studies Review 'This book is a useful account of the manner in which civil society has developed in the recent past in different parts of Asia, and the fact that this is still "a project in progress".' Journal of Educational Planning and Administration '...useful and stimulating reading for those interested in various aspects of civil society in several individual countries in Southeast and East Asia.' Australian Journal of Political Science

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0754622754
• ISBN 13: 9780754622758
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240
• Editor: Schak David C.