The Civil Sphere in East Asia

From leading East Asian scholars, this collection of case studies, distributed across five East Asian nations, examines a wide range of contemporary social and cultural conflicts. It will be of use to graduate students and researchers in cultural sociology, political sociology, social theory, sociology of social movements, and globalization theory.

Leading sociologists who live and work in East Asia examine their region''s most dangerous and explosive social problems, and some of their most stunning success stories, from the viewpoint of Civil Sphere Theory. This new and increasingly influential sociological understanding of democracy aims to describe and explain the moral codes and institutional foundations of democratic solidarity, as it manifests itself within a distinct social sphere. Part of a multi-volume project, this collection includes cases from Japan, mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea, bringing together efforts by sociologists based in East Asian academic institutions. Through an extraordinary blend of sophisticated social theory and path-breaking empirical research, The Civil Sphere in East Asia aims to advance civil sphere theory by globalizing and regionalizing it at the same time.