Global Civil Society: The Progress of Post-Westphalian Politics
Global Civil Society: The Progress of Post-Westphalian Politics
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DOI：
10.1146/annurev-polisci-042010-164946
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发表时间：
2012-01-01
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Dryzek, John S.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Dryzek, John S.
尽管全球民间社会的概念仍然模糊不清，但它受到那些认为自己属于它的人的赞扬，并得到寻求其活动合法化的国际政府组织的认可。它的狂热者相信，全球公民社会预示着一种超越主权国家体系的更和谐的政治。它的批评者嘲笑它在既定权力关系中的不代表性和共谋。批评者可以通过更微妙的陈述和突出的象征性做法来回答。要理解全球民间社会的希望和危险，就必须超越对民间社会和民主的陈旧观念的成见，因为它们据称在国家内部发挥作用。无论这种后威斯特伐利亚运动的复杂性如何，全球公民社会仍然是有争议的领域，涉及相互关联的政治和知识争端。事实证明，国际关系理论在澄清利害关系方面没有发挥应有的作用。民主理论可以发挥作用，这种相遇为民主本身可能带来的东西提供了新的启示。
Despite lingering ambiguity surrounding the concept, global civil society is acclaimed by those who think they belong to it, and validated by international governmental organizations seeking legitimation for their activities. Its enthusiasts believe global civil society presages a more congenial kind of politics that transcends the system of sovereign states. Its critics deride its un-representativeness and complicity in established power relations. The critics can be answered by more subtle accounts of representation and by highlighting contestatory practices. Appreciation of the promise and perils of global civil society requires moving beyond preconceptions rooted in dated ideas about civil society and democracy as they allegedly function within states. Irrespective of the sophistication of such post-Westphalian moves, global civil society remains contested terrain, involving interconnected political and intellectual disputes. International relations theory proves less useful than it should be in clarifying what is at stake. Democratic theory can be brought to bear, and this encounter sheds new light on what democracy itself can entail.