Civil Society in Southeast Asia / / ed. by Lee Hock Guan.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Asian Studies Backlist (2000-2014) eBook Package
• MitwirkendeR: Banpasirichote, Chantana,; Carroll, John J.,; Guan, Lee Hock,; Heng, Russell Hiang-Khng,; Koh, Gillian,; Lan, Thung Ju,; Ling, Ooi Giok,; Martinez, Patricia,; Ramasamy, P.,; Sobritchea, Carolyn I.,; Taylor, Jim,; Yan, Lai Suat,
• HerausgeberIn: Hock Guan, Lee,
• Place / Publishing House: Singapore : : ISEAS Publishing, , [2004]; ©2004
• Year of Publication: 2004
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (288 p.)

What is the relevance of civil society to people empowerment, effective governance, and deepening democracy? This book addresses this question by examining the activities and public participation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the areas of religion, ethnicity, gender and the environment. Examples are taken from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. State regimes' attempts to co-opt the concept or reject it as alien to "Asian values" have apparently not turned out as expected. This is evident from the fact that many Southeast Asian citizens are inspired by the civil society concept and now engage in public discourse and participation. The experience of civil society in Southeast Asia shows that its impact -- or lack of impact -- on democratization and democracy depends on a variety of factors not only within civil society itself, but also within the state.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- About the Contributors -- 1. Introduction: Civil Society in Southeast Asia -- 2. Islam, Constitutional Democracy, and the Islamic State in Malaysia -- 3. Cracks in the Wall of Separation?: The Church, Civil Society, and the State in the Philippines -- 4. New Buddhism, Urban Space, and Virtual Civil Society -- 5. Women’s Movement in the Philippines and the Politics of Critical Collaboration with the State -- 6. Participation of the Women’s Movement in Malaysia: The 1999 General Election -- 7. Civil Society Effectiveness and the Vietnamese State — Despite or Because of the Lack of Autonomy -- 8. Relationship between State and Civil Society in Singapore: Clarifying the Concepts, Assessing the Ground -- 9. Civil Society in Malaysia: An Arena of Contestations? -- 10. Ethnicity and the Civil Rights Movement in Indonesia -- 11. Civil Society Discourse and the Future of Radical Environmental Movements in Thailand -- Index