Author: asiancivilsociety

David Chiavacci published a co-edited volume Civil Society and the State in Democratic East Asia: Between Entanglement and Contention in Post High Growth (Amsterdam University Press, 2020). Ming-sho Ho, Naoto Higuchi, and Akihiro Ogawa contributed the chapters. The book is available via open access here. 

Territorial disputes are one of the main sources of tension in Northeast Asia. Escalation in such conflicts often stems from a widely shared public perception that the territory in question is of the utmost importance to the nation. While that’s frequently not true in economic, military, or political terms, citizens’ groups and other domestic actors throughout the region have mounted sustained campaigns to protect or recover disputed islands. Quite often, these campaigns have wide-ranging domestic and international consequences.

Why and how do territorial disputes that at one point mattered little, become salient? Focusing on non-state actors rather than political elites, Alexander Bukh explains how and why apparently inconsequential territories become central to national discourse in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. These Islands Are Ours challenges the conventional wisdom that disputes-related campaigns originate in the desire to protect national territory and traces their roots to times of crisis in the respective societies. This book gives us a new way to understand the nature of territorial disputes and how they inform national identities by exploring the processes of their social construction, and amplification.

Yooil Bae, with Jeffery M. Sellers and Anders Lidström, published Multilevel Democracy: How Local Institutions and Civil Society Shape the Modern State (Cambridge University Press, 2020). This book is the first comprehensive analysis of multilevel democracy in 21 developed countries and highlights the role of institutions and civil society.

The Asian Civil Society Research Network – Colombo Charter was established in March 2020 to further the efforts and enhance the level of collaborative and foster learning exchanges and cross fertilization of ideas between the members and countries. Dr. Udan Fernando leads the charter.

Global Civil Society in Uncertain Times: Strengthening Diversity and
Sustainability;  DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: 26 OCTOBER 2019

Founded in 1992, ISTR is a global community of scholars, policymakers, and third sector leaders dedicated to the creation, discussion, and advancement of knowledge pertaining to the Third Sector and its impact on civil society, public policy and local communities.

Civil society plays a crucial part in promoting cosmopolitan ideals of collective responsibility, global citizenship, tolerance, inclusivity, and sustainability. These ideals are increasingly important in a divided, less tolerant, and uncertain world in which States erect physical and legal barriers in order to exclude outsiders, in which governments erode citizenship rights and welfare entitlements, in which leading politicians openly challenge independent institutions such as universities and the free press, and in which disinterested expertise and authority are assailed by
populist forces.

These are issues of global and ubiquitous importance but they provoke civil society initiatives which take various forms and which operate at all geographical scales, from social movements and alliances of NGOs that cross borders and continents, to small‐scale initiatives to relieve destitution and promote solidarity.

The conference call invites proposals that respond to these broad themes. If we consider various dimensions of intolerance we can see crucial roles for civil society in relation to: (1) Sustainability,  (2) Diversity, (3) Expertise & Authority, and (4) Social Innovation & Welfare.

Paper, poster, and panel proposals from around the world are invited in response to the overall conference focus as they relate to the many, diverse and interconnected theme areas that are characteristic of third sector research. For the purposes of the ISTR International Conference, the third sector is broadly defined, including: NGOs, non‐profit organizations, voluntary associations, social economy organizations, community organizations, self‐help and mutual organizations, civil society organizations, foundations, philanthropy, and other manifestations of civil society globally and locally, for example networks and social forums, unions, religious organizations, co‐operatives, and volunteering.

To submit your conference abstract, please click here