Keane offers a conception of civil society more nuanced and more attractive than leading contenders. But Keane’s conception also leaves certain questions for reexamination. Keane says little about what role his vision of civil society allows for governments. Many may struggle to share Keane’s optimism about the role of digital technology in helping to realize this vision. And one might also question how well the attitude of political hope that Keane urges ultimately serves us.

What is the transformative potential of civil society in the neoliberal era? This essay responds to John Keane’s “Hopes for Civil Society.” While civil society plays an integral role in democratic transition, its role in countries experiencing democratic backsliding or erosion is less clear. In the longstanding liberal democracies today, political party ties to civil society groups have weakened, parties are less differentiated on economic policy, and citizens increasingly turn to mass protest, rather than civic engagement, to express their grievances.

Few authors feature the rare quality of threading their academic prose with clarity, attractiveness, and sophistication. John Keane is one of those authors. The Australian intellectual has produced one of the most innovative works of recent decades in the field of applied political theory, which simultaneously exceeds the dreams of some essayists with philosophical pretensions and the aridity of the majority of writers on comparative politics.