The Return of Civil Society: Emergence of Democratic Spain - Hardcover

"The Return of Civil Society..".is a book that can only be described as magisterial. It moves easily and successfully along the boundaries of history, political science, and sociology, presenting a carefully crafted argument about the democratization of Spain while reflecting intelligently and provocatively on many other subjects. -- Eusebio Mujal-Leon "American Political Science Review" rewarding and rare example of the complementarity of sociological and historical interpretations of political change. sociology, presenting a carefully crafted argument about the democratization of Spain while reflecting intelligently and provocatively on many other subjects. The Return of Civil Society ...is a book that can only be described as magisterial. It moves easily and successfully along the boundaries of history, political science, and sociology, presenting a carefully crafted argument about the democratization of Spain while reflecting intelligently and provocatively on many other subjects. A decade from now, when scholars evaluate whether the debate over civil society revised our conventional assumptions, I am confident that Perez-Diaz's book will be mentioned as having moved us closer to our goal. -- Carlos A. Forment "Contemporary Sociology" A humane, subtle, and splendidly informative study of recent Spanish history, with important observations about the critical role of civil society in the political triumphs and failures of other countries. A greatly rewarding and rare example of the complementarity of sociological and historical interpretations of political change. -- Fritz Stern "Foreign Affairs" "The Return of Civil Society,.".is a book that can only be described as magisterial. It moves easily and successfully along the boundaries of history, political science, and sociology, presenting a carefully crafted argument about the democratization of Spain while reflecting intelligently and provocatively on many other subjects. -- Eusebio Mujal-Leon "American Political Science Review" "The Return of Civil Society"...is a book that can only be described as magisterial. It moves easily and successfully along the boundaries of history, political science, and sociology, presenting a carefully crafted argument about the democratization of Spain while reflecting intelligently and provocatively on many other subjects. -- Eusebio Mujal-Leon "American Political Science Review"

Victor Perez-Diaz examines in detail the return of civil society in Spain. He covers the transition of Spain from a pre-industrial economy, an authoritarian government, and a Roman Catholic-dominated culture to a modern state based on the interaction of economic and class interests, on a market society, on voluntary associations such as trade unions and political parties, and on a culture of moral autonomy and rationality. Perez-Diaz manoeuvres between broad, speculative reflection on the relations between the state and civil society and empirically-based analyses of specific sectors in Spanish society, including the church, the economy, the workers and the unions. In a multidiscipinary approach, the author borrows ideas and methods from history, sociology, and economics and uses them to illuminate the more general problem of modernization in the western world. This book aims to be especially relevant to understanding the ongoing efforts to create civil societies in eastern Europe, and its general argument has implications for social science research. "The Return of Civil Society" should be of interest to sociologists and political scientists and to students of Spanish society, politics, culture, and religion.