Civil Society in Southeast Europe (Value Inquiry, 151) (Value Inquiry Book)

Since the fall of communism in 1989 Southeast Europe has been a site of far-reaching societal transformation, much of it marked by political crisis, economic upheaval, ethnic tension, and bitter war. The book comprises articles investigating the history and development of civil society in post-communist Southeast Europe. How is civil society to be grasped, what are the historical factors shaping the civil societies of the region?, what is the function of civil society in the transition to democracy and a market-economy?, and what are the prospects for the future development of the civil societies of the region in an age of globalization?, –these are just a few of the major questions addressed in this collection of articles. Many of the authors are social scientists, philosophers, and activists from the region, offering first-hand critical analysis of the state of civil society in Southeast Europe and suggesting theoretical and practical strategies for the future course of its development. The aim is to provide the reader with insight into the complex challenges that face the civil societies of the region.

David C. Durst is Associate Professor of Philosophy in the Arts & Humanities Division at the American University in Bulgaria. He is author of a study of Hegel and Schiller under the title Die politische Őkonomie der Sittlichkeit bei Hegel und der ästhetischen Kultur bei Schiller. Eine Studie zur politschen Vernunft (1993). Recent publications include journal articles in The Germanic Review, Heidegger Studies, Continental Philosophy Review, Contemporary Political Theory, and Res Public, and review-essays in Political Theory and Philosophische Rundschau. His forthcoming monograph is entitled Weimar Modernism. Philosophy, Politics and Culture in Germany 1918–1933. His research focuses primarily on nineteenth and twentieth-century continental aesthetic and political thought.
Dane R. Gordon, born in London, England, served in the Royal Navy during World War II, graduated from the universities of Cambridge, London, and the University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, and is currently Emeritus Professor of Philosophy in the College of Liberal Arts, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York. He is editor of the VIBS Special Series, Post Communist European Thought, including this volume and Philosophy in Post Communist Europe (1998) and Criticism and Defense of Rationality in Contemporary Philosophy (with Josef Niznik, 1998). Other publications include Thinking and Reading in Philosophy of Religion (1994), The Old Testament in its Historical, Cultural, and Religious Context (1985/1994), Philosophy and Vision (1998), and Epicurus: His Continuing Influence and Contemporary Relevance (with David Suits, 2003). He is a Presbyterian minister with the Presbytery of Genesee Valley, New York.