Democratization and civil society development through the perspectives of Gramsci and Tocqueville in South Korea and Japan
| Author | Charmaine N Willis |
| DOI | 10.1177/2057891119867401 |
| Published date | 01 December 2020 |
| Date | 01 December 2020 |
| Subject Matter | Research articles |
Research article
Democratization and civil
society development through
the perspectives of Gramsci
and Tocqueville in South
Korea and Japan
Charmaine N Willis
University at Albany, State University of New York, USA
Abstract
The development of a country’s civil society has typically been tied to the development of
democracy: a vibrant civil society is indicative of a vibrant democracy. Why, then, has civil society
emerged differently in South Korea, a country that democratized fairly recently, and Japan, a
country that has been democratic since the end of the Second World War? I argue the origins of
democracy in both states significantly contributed to the contrasting characters of civil society. In
Japan, top-down democratization facilitated the development of a civil society with a strong link to
the state for the majority of the 20th century, best viewed from the perspective of Gramsci. By
contrast, the bottom-up democratization process in South Korea fostered a civil society where
organizations monitor the state, best understood from the Tocquevillian perspective. Through
comparative case analysis, this study endeavors to contribute to the literature on civil society by
highlighting the ways in which democratization influences the trajectory of civil society.
Keywords
civil society, democratization, Japan, South Korea
Introduction
The study of civil society, the metaphorical space between a country’s government and society,
remains one of the most elusive concepts in poli tical science; debates about its meaning and
relationship with democracy persist. Dating as far back as Tocqueville’s Democracy in America,
Corresponding author:
Charmaine N Willis, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy, University at Albany, State University of New York, 135
Western Avenue, Albany, NY 12203, USA.
Email: cwillis@albany.edu
Asian Journal of Comparative Politics
2020, Vol. 5(4) 371–384
ªThe Author(s) 2019
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DOI: 10.1177/2057891119867401
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