John A. Hall and Frank Trentmann provide the first critical selection of texts on the evolution of "civil society" as a seminal and hotly debated idea from the seventeenth century to the present. It combines European texts with global debates about civil society, including texts about Islam, China, and human rights. This critical edition is essential reading for students and academics in history, sociology, politics, and international relations as well as for members of the public and social activists interested in civil society today.