John Keane, a leading scholar of political theory, tracks the recent development of a big idea with fresh potency - global civil society. In this timely book, Keane explores the contradictory forces currently nurturing or threatening its growth, and he shows how talk of global civil society implies a political vision of a less violent world, founded on legally sanctioned power-sharing arrangements among different and intermingling forms of socio-economic life. Keane's reflections are pitted against the widespread feeling that the world is both too complex and too violent to deserve serious reflection. His account borrows from various scholarly disciplines, including political science and international relations, to challenge the silence and confusion within much of contemporary literature on globalisation and global governance. Against fears of terrorism, rising tides of xenophobia, and loose talk of 'anti-globalisation', the defence of global civil society mounted here implies the need for new democratic ways of living.

The most learned, erudite, and encompassing book on the global civil society of this century.’

Amitai Etzioni - author of The New Golden Rule

‘John Keane’s book is an imaginative and productive experiment in contemporary democratic thinking. It is challenging and provocative, and it provides structured orientation in a wide, confusing and unsettled field.’

Hans-Jürgen Puhle - University of Frankfurt

‘John Keane has applied his sharp intellect and moral commitments to a topic of political importance but persistent conceptual confusion to produce a book of forceful clarity and coherence. A sparkling contribution to contemporary political thought.’

Bryan Turner - University of Cambridge

‘… really thought-provoking in addressing a number of issues that we confront in a contemporary world that is becoming more interdependent and volatile than ever … the book is genuinely stimulating and enjoyable in many respects. The space here is too short to summarise its rich arguments, and readers are invited to take their own look.’

Source: Development Policy Review