Civil Society in the West and in Russia

The concept of civil society has only recently gained currency among us. This in part explains why it has not really caught on. Indeed, even without conducting special surveys, one may say that this concept is still situated at the distant periphery of mass consciousness in our country. But this also means that fate has spared (at least so far) "civil society" from the sorry lot that has befallen concepts such as "democracy" and "the market." The immoderate and careless use of these terms, and most importantly the contrast between the expectations they aroused and the reality they cloaked, have given "democracy" and the "market" a firm negative connotation in the eyes of most Russians. This has not (yet) occurred with "civil society," but there are no guarantees of what the future will bring

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