Introduction

Abstract

Whereas civil society has previously been considered a “check” upon concentrated elite power, this chapter explains civil society as one player in a larger field of power. The field of power is a meta-field that contains all other social fields. To contend in the field of power requires a generalizable power source, and these powers operate simultaneously at two levels: in discrete social fields and in the field of power as a whole. Thus, through a close examination of a single social field, one can trace the shape of the larger field of power. Because power can be garnered and deployed in multiple spatial scales, the field of power approach is particularly appropriate for understanding civil society in the twenty-first century, which is characterized by globalization and a resurgent authoritarianism. The book examines the global field of power by focusing upon the dynamic interactions of power players around Lake Baikal in eastern Siberia.