Civil society in contemporary Italy: theory, history and practice

Over the last twenty years significant changes have taken place in the nature and role of Italian civil society. In this article, I first offer a definition of modern civil society and then trace its historical development in Italy, especially during the republican period. I then move on to discuss why civil society has flourished so markedly over the past two decades. I concentrate in particular on the structural transformations of the middle classes, outlining their dominant position in Italian society and their increased cultural capital. I suggest that a new reflexive middle class has provided the backbone for civil-society protests, especially those in defence of the Constitution and against Silvio Berlusconi's manipulations of the media and of the law. These protests have been impressively large, but should not be allowed to mask the many shortcomings of contemporary civil society, which render it more vulnerable than at first appears. I end the article with an appeal for new forms of politics which combine both civil and political society, representative and participatory democracy.