Peoples’ Europe and the Limits of the European Public Sphere and Civil Society

Abstract

This article considers the contexts within which the debates on European civil society are taking place. It considers the relationship among the European Union (EU)-motivated civil society discussions, member-state behaviour in relation to social change, and, more broadly, people's everyday engagements. The main question posed is whether there is a distinction between European civil society as perceived by the EU and member states and the European social space that is informed by people's interactions and negotiations with each other on norms and values guiding their everyday lives. The main aim of the article is to illuminate the relationship between people's everyday experiences of each other and how these experiences inform how different people participate in civil society debates.