Response 1
I love the point that you(Professor Harding) bring up in one of your posts, "The notion that civil society can somehow stay "clean" from the taint of the political sphere is therefore false." I think this is so true, especially in regards to what we talked about last week in class. You asked a series of questions regarding civil society, and we answered your questions and essentially falling into your "trap" Civil Society is a term that at least in my mind is constantly changing and your point about the actors of a politcal persuasion can stay away from it is spot on. This throws "a wrench" into the model of civil society because you now have this whole debate on politics on civi a CIVIL society.
I think Kawtharani's dicussion civil society in the Arab World versus the European is quite unique and interesting. Where as civil society and its roots in language refer to brethren,kin, or brotherhood is quite different sentiment than say of the french, civic,civil, city and citizen. Those French phrases which translate to English but arabic makes everything more clear about society in the Arabic versus European world
Sean O