Between Nation and Civil Society: Ethnolinguistic and Religious Pluralism in Independent Ukraine

Author: José Casanova

February 1, 1998

In "Between Nation and Civil Society: Ethnolinguistic and Religious Pluralism in Independent Ukraine" Casanova argues in favor of the concept of civil society in general and in the potential for a civil society to form in Ukraine and other post-communist countries in Eastern Europe. Casanova notes that the nation faced the task of transitioning into a democratic system and a market economy while also engaging in nation-building and state-making. Casanova says that up to 1998, Ukrainian politicians had pursued all of those actions in a sequential, slow, and steady pace. Casanova writes that while the task had not been completed in 1998, the country had successfully built the base for a future nation-state and civil society. Included in that mission would be more effectively incorporating the country's various ethnic and religious groups. This chapter is included in Democratic Civility: The History and Cross-Cultural Possibility of a Modern Political Ideal (edited by Robert Hefner).

View Publication

Discover similar content through these related topics and regions.

Opens in a new window