Global Civil Society?Amid fears of terrorism, rising tides of xenophobia, and protests, John Keane explores the contradictory arguments and traces the historical origins, contemporary meanings and political potential of globalization. Defending the idea of a global civil society, Keane stresses the need for new democratic ways of living and demonstrates how it is linked with such developments as turbocapitalism, social movements and the political institutions of "cosmocracy." Keane's provocative reflections in Global Civil Society? draw upon a variety of scholarly sources and offer a fresh perspective on contemporary political thinking and new global problems. John Keane was born in Australia and educated at the Universities of Adelaide, Toronto and Cambridge. He is Professor of Politics at the University of Westminster. In 1989, he founded the Centre for the Study of Democracy. His most recent work is a study of power, Václav Havel: A Political Tragedy in Six Acts (Basic Books, 1999). His other books include Civil Society: Old Images, New Visions (Stanford, 1998), Democracy and Civil Society (Verso Books, 1998), Reflections on Violence (Verso Books, 1996), the prizewinning Tom Paine: A Political Life (Little Brown, 1995), and The Media and Democracy (Blackwell, 1991). He has been awarded many fellowships and research grants and has lectured throughout the world; he often appears on radio and television and is a regular contributor to The Times Literary Supplement. Currently he is writing a full-scale history of democracy. |
Contents
Unfamiliar words | 1 |
Catalysts | 40 |
Cosmocracy | 92 |
Paradise on earth? | 129 |
Ethics beyond borders | 175 |
210 | |
214 | |
Common terms and phrases
action activists actors Anheier called Cambridge campaigns capital century citizens civilisations colonial communications complex concept conflict corporate cosmocracy cosmocratic cosmopolitan cosmopolitan democracy countries cross-border culture Democracy democratic dynamic earth economy effects emerging Empire Eric Hobsbawm especially ethic of global Europe European example forces foreign freedom global civil society global governance global public spheres globalisation governmental groups Hedley Bull higher education human rights ideal INGOs instance interaction interdependence International Islam John Gaventa John Keane Jürgen Habermas language of civil living London means military million modern moral movements Muslim Naomi Klein networks NGOs non-governmental non-violent normative nuclear weapons numbers nurture organisations Oxford peace pluralism political potentially principle production Qur'an regional relations rules sense social space structures talk term territorial theory tion trade Transnational trend turbocapitalism uncivil United Nations universal Václav Havel violence Western world-wide York