This volume of especially commissioned essays explains what is meant by "civil society", paying particular attention to the relationships between civil society and other social forces such as nationalism and populism.

John A Hall is Emeritus James McGill Professor of Sociology at McGill University and the author of many books including Powers and Liberties: The Causes and Consequences of the Rise of the West (Blackwell, 1985), Liberalism: Politics, Ideology and the Market (Paladin, 1988), Coercion and Consent: Studies on the Modern State (Polity, 1994) and International Orders:Essays, Interpretations and Rejoinders (Polity, 1996).