Examines the potential value of the concept of civil society for enhancing the current understanding of state-society relations in Africa. The authors review the meanings of civil society in political philosophy, as well as alternative approaches to employing the concept in African settings.

The Idea of Civil Society, State Formation and the African Development Crisis, J.W. Harbeson. Part 1 Divergent Concepts of Civil Society: Civil Society, Democratization and State Decline, C. Young; Civil Society and Political Transition in Africa, M. Bratton; From Disengagement to Civil Society in Africa, V. Azarya. Part 2 The Development of Civil Society in Africa - Cases: Constructing a Civil Society - Farmers and Political Life in Cote d'Ivoire, J. Widener; Nurturing Civil Society from Above - Decentralisation and Democratisation in Kenya, J. Barkan; Gender and the Transformation of Civil Society in Tanzania, A.M. Tripp; Western Uganda Dairy Farmers - Responses to the Withdrawal of State-Financed Services, N. Kasfir; Civil Society in Nigeria - Spatial Dimensions, J. Guyer; Associational Life and Democratic Prospects in Ghana, E. Gyimah-Boadi; Civil Society in Zaire - the Role of Personal Connections, J. MacGaffrey. Part 3 Challenges to Civil Society: Civil Society, Economic Governance and Social Change in Africa, T. Callaghy; Marketisation, Public Sphere and Civil Society in Africa - Historical Perspectives, A. Mbembe; the Interaction Between State and Civil Society - From Deadlock to New Routines, D. Rothchild and L. Lawson. Part 4 Conclusion: The Dynamics of Civil Society in Africa, N. Chazan.