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Article: The State of Civil Society in Japan.(Book review)
- Article from:
- Journal of East Asian Studies
- Article date:
- May 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Lynne Rienner Publishers. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The State of Civil Society in Japan. Edited by Frank J. Schwartz and Susan J. Pharr. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. 392 pp. $70. Cloth.
This book intends to contribute to two aims: to enrich the concept of civil society through the case of Japan and to shed new light on Japanese studies from the point of view of civil society. While these are very stimulating approaches, they are too controversial to accept without reservation.
First, this work stretches the concept of civil society. One of the editors explains that "civil society consists of sustained, organized social activity that occurs in groups that are formed outside the state, the ...