Organized civil society, volunteering and citizenship

Abstract

Civil society-based institutions have had a significant historical impact in Europe on the one hand in formation of modern notions of the nation and on the creation of national identity and on the other hand in definition of citizenship rights and understanding of the democratic culture. If support for citizenship rights through civil society organizations – at the workplace and in public institutions – is weakly articulated, it creates a fragile democratic culture and, consequently, less comprehensive social protection. The possibility of civil society becoming a locus for democratic learning, political reflexivity and governance depends, firstly, on its specific institutional mechanisms and, secondly, on the broader institutional configuration, which civil society forms part of.

Citation

Boje, T.P. (2009), "Organized civil society, volunteering and citizenship", Enjolras, B. and Henrik Sivesind, K. (Ed.) Civil Society in Comparative Perspective (Comparative Social Research, Vol. 26), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 243-262. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0195-6310(2009)0000026014