What is 'Civil Society'?

Civil Society International describes "civil society as a third sector, distinct from government and business. Civil society refers to intermediary institutions such as professional associations, religious groups, labour unions, citizen advocacy organizations and other interest groups who  give voice to various sectors of society and enrich democratic participation."

If you can get over the techno and overuse of venn diagrams the following Youtube clip explains how different philosophers viewed civil society throughout different stages in history and thought.

So there is some theory on the term civil society. The term isn't new and its meaning has changed over time.

American dissident and philosopher-scientist Noam Chomsky has some more radical views on American civil society.



I tried to find a Canadian source to explain the term civil society but most search engine results showed me examples of Canadians who are concerned about another country's civil society. Canadians. I found Canadians speaking out about Burma, Iran, Israel/Palestine and Sudan. Many arguments for constructing a civil society are becoming popular after the Arab Spring and many arguments focus on how middle-eastern countries can build a civil society after experiencing a civil war.