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Introduction: The Meaning and Employment of ‘Civil Society’ in Latin America
Author(s) -
Avritzer Leonardo
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
constellations
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1467-8675
pISSN - 1351-0487
DOI - 10.1111/1467-8675.00039
Subject(s) - latin americans , civil society , authoritarianism , realm , constitution , argument (complex analysis) , autonomy , politics , interpretation (philosophy) , political science , sociology , liberalism , social movement , meaning (existential) , political economy , law , epistemology , democracy , biochemistry , chemistry , computer science , programming language , philosophy
This article discusses the recent adoption of the concept of civil society by Latin American social movements and political theorists. Our argument is that civil society has been employed in two contexts in Latin America: 1) in the re‐interpretation of the ambiguous reception of liberalism in the region; 2) in the analysis of the constitution of a realm of societal autonomy throughout the struggle against authoritarianism. It is our contention in this article that social movements and civil associations are playing a central role in both processes.