Civil Society, Democratic Space, and Social Work

Neelmani Jaysawal

doi:10.1177/2158244013504934

Abstract

Civil Society envisages the growth of civilization in a way that the society is in “civilized form.” It has been prominent in Social science since time immemorial. Till 18th century, it was synonymous with the state or political society. It was more or less direct translation of Cicero’s Societas’ Civilis and Aristotle’s Koinonia politike. According to Karl Marx, “Civil Society embraces the whole material intercourse of individuals within a definite stage of development of productive forces.” Civil Society is an arena where modern man legitimately gratifies his self-interest and develops his individuality, but also learns the value of group action, social solidarity which educates him for citizenship and equips him to participate in the political sphere of the state. It provides “networks of civic engagement” within which reciprocity is learned and enforced, trust is generated. An active and diverse civil society plays a valuable role in advancement of democracy. It seeks to ensure that citizen’s interests are taken seriously. The social work intervention may not be democratically envisaged until it is promulgated by civic engagement through Civil Society. Methodology: This is a descriptive study which consists of secondary source of data collection based on reports, books, periodic journals, web-based articles. There have been utilized three case studies for reaching the findings of study. This article will highlight on role of civil society in providing democratic space and assisting social workers to ensure inclusive growth through conglomeration of state and individuals.

Highlights

Civil society consists of groups and organizations, both formal and informal, which act independent of the state and market to promote diverse interests in society
They foster citizen participation and civic education. They provide leadership training for young people who want to engage in civic life but are uninterested in working through political parties. Civil society in this sense is an arena in which modern man legitimately gratifies his self-interest and develops his individuality, and learns the value of group action, social solidarity, and the dependence of his welfare on others, which educate him for citizenship and prepare him for participation in the political arena of the state (Kumar, 1993)
This article has argued that a range of challenges predictably emerge for civil societies, especially those concerned with promoting development. We regard this analysis as a step in developing conceptual maps that can guide efforts to strengthen civil society organizations and the sector as a whole

Summary

Introduction

Civil society consists of groups and organizations, both formal and informal, which act independent of the state and market to promote diverse interests in society. Civil society provides a way to enhance public participation, consultation, transparency, and accountability that may foster democratic governance (Scholte, 2001). The utilization of social work methods and key strategies assist a civil society organization to connect people with governance mechanism.

Results

Conclusion