A REVIEW OF THE CIVIL SOCIETY CONCEPT: THE DEVELOPMENT OF ITS CONCEPTUALIZATION IN THAILAND

Abstract

This academic article aimed to review the civil society concept, concept of civil society in the Thai context by examining how the notion of Thai civil society has been defined from the 1970s to the present. This article employed a literature review of Thai scholars' definition of civil society, analyzing them in changing political contexts. It was found that the conceptualization of civil society in Thailand was dynamic and could be divided into three distinct phases. First, during the 1970s, civil society was not clearly defined in the Thai context, but was reflected in direct public participation, such as protests and social movements. Second, in the 1980s, civil society began to be defined with a focus on the actions of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating independently from the state. Third, from the late 1980s to the present, the concept of civil society has been defined in various terms in the Thai context, emphasizing the public sphere as a space autonomous from state and corporate control, and as a crucial element in the development of democracy.