CIVIL SOCIETY AS AN OBJECT OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOURSE


DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/2415-881x.2026.100.1.230-243

Ivan Fedirko, Olga Kosilova

Abstract


The article provides a theoretical and analytical examination of the concept of civil society as an object of scientific discourse in political and legal thought. The evolution of ideas about civil society is traced from ancient political philosophy to contemporary theoretical approaches. The views of Plato and Aristotle, representatives of early modern political philosophy such as T. Hobbes, J. Locke, J.-J. Rousseau and Ch. Montesquieu, as well as representatives of German classical philosophy – I. Kant and G. Hegel – are analysed.
Particular attention is paid to the development of the concept of civil society in the works of Western scholars of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including A. de Tocqueville, T. Parsons, A. Gramsci, H. Arendt, M. Foucault, E. Gellner, J. Keane and E. Arato. It is shown that in modern scientific discourse civil society is interpreted as a complex system of social institutions functioning in interaction with the state and ensuring civic participation and democratic accountability.
The approaches of Ukrainian scholars to the study of civil society are analysed and the peculiarities of its development in Ukraine in the context of democratic transformation are examined. It is substantiated that civil society plays a key role in strengthening democratic governance, the rule of law and the interaction between the state and society.


Keywords


civil society; scientific discourse; political theory; evolution of the concept; political philosophy; rule of law; civil society institutions; civic participation; democratic governance

References


Locke, J. (2001). Two treatises of government (O. Terekh & P. Tarashchuk, Trans.). Osnovy. 265 p.

Rousseau, J.-J. (2001). The social contract, or principles of political right (O. Khoma, Trans.). Port-Royal. 349 p.

Montesquieu, C. L. (1999). The spirit of laws (H. Pashkovskyi, Trans.). Osnovy. 568 p.

Kosilova, O. I. (2006). Theoretical foundations of civil society of the modern era. Political Science Bulletin, 21, P. 244–254.

Kant, I. (2004). The metaphysics of morals (O. Shcherbak, Trans.). Yunivers. 312 p.

Hegel, G. W. F. (2000). Elements of the philosophy of right (R. Osadchuk, Trans.). Yunivers. 336 p.

Tocqueville, A. (1999). Democracy in America. Vsesvit. 590 p.

Arendt, H. (2002). The origins of totalitarianism (V. Verlok & D. Horchakov, Trans.). Dukh i Litera. 575 p.

Foucault, M. (1998). Discipline and punish: The birth of the prison (P. Tarashchuk, Trans.). Osnovy. 392 p.

Keane, J. (2000). Civil society: Old images, new visions. KIS. 192 p.

Alexander, J. (1999). Paradoxes of civil society. Sociology: Theory, Methods, Marketing, 1, P. 27–41.

Sirenko, V. F., Tymoshenko, V. I., & Kovalchuk, T. I. (1997). Civil society in Ukraine: Problems of formation. Lohos. 192 p.

Riabov, S. H. (1996). State power: Problems of authority and legitimacy. NISD. 124 p.

Babkin, V. D. (1996). Ukraine on the way to civil society and the rule of law. In Civil society and entrepreneurship in Ukraine: Problems and ways of formation. P. 27–36.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

The editorial board does not always share the position of the authors. The authors are responsible for the accuracy of the material presented.
All rights reserved.
© Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, 2026