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The consumer movement in Malaysia, especially the Consumers' Association of Penang and the Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations in the 1970s and 1980s, are examined. It is observed that since the 1980s, the decreased influence of consumerism and promotion of human rights has overtaken the politics of consumption as the dominant oppositional rhetoric of non-governmental groups.

The culture and history of the Russian people has made it difficult to cultivate widespread support for organizing and independent social protest has never been encouraged in Russian civil society. Three women activists from various organizations, Valentina Melnikove, Anna Sharogradskay, and Yevgenia Chirikova narrate their experiences at how they organized themselves to engage in public life.

The moral geographies based on class and civilized modernity that is contributing to urban segregation and social exclusion in (post-)socialist Shanghai's gated communities are discussed.

The way in which voluntary sport organizations operate and the kinds of social and political effects they might have through the concept of social capital are studied. Results show that being a member of a voluntary sport organization involves social capital which is conducive to generalized trust and political commitment. However, the effect of sport organizations is weaker as compared to voluntary organizations, but stronger in membership.

WHEN speaking about cultural memory, I do not have in mind traces of the past stored in a kind of collective consciousness ready for recall, nor do I propose a [...]

The potential for senior citizens to contribute to the renewal of civil society is discussed. Topics include the erosion of civil society, time pressures, prospects for social renewal, seniors as trustees of community, institutional lag, and the generative society.

The article demonstrates the case of homeowners defending their rights in a community in Guangzhou, by focusing on the study of the culture frame and action strategy adopted for defending the right to collective action. The multiple strategies adopted by the defenders to deal with different opponents and how circumstances and culture frame have an impact on the adoption and implementation of different strategies are discussed.

A nonparticipation syndrome has emerged in Russia from the 1990s, in which about 70 percent of the Russians feel that people like them are not in a position to have any serious influence on the making of important political decisions.

A study into the widely contested contexts of the term 'civil society' used by groups and writers and how increasing use has coincided with the expansion of the voluntary and non-governmental organizations into welfare delivery is illustrated.

The erosion of the Norwegian democratic infrastructure is discussed, with emphasis on the causes and effects of the transformation of the voluntary sector and the decline of social movements. Smaller and better associations catering for individuals needs have replaced the large-scale ideological mass movements as an impact of globalization, the structural characteristics of which are giving rise to new forms of civic participation.

The genealogy of the most influential understanding of the term 'civil society' can be traced to what has been described as the 'Americanization' of the concept in the last two decades. Through the instrumentalization of this neo-Tocquevillian conception of 'civil society,' a new social space is being designed in the global South. With the growing flow between academic theories and knowledge and the world of aid agencies, policies and practical politics, civil society is becoming a means to an end - democratization, economic growth or sustainable development - rather than an end in itself.

The author reports on his visit to Russia. He looks upon Russia as a country of contradictions and the emerging civil society is trying to find its place in these times.