Civil Society in Asia 4:
International Conference in Melbourne

Conference theme: Varieties of Civil Society across Asia

Asian civil societies are as diverse as the countries of Asia. In this conference, we seek to bring attention to the diverse ways in which civil society operates, the forms it takes, the approaches it embraces, and the effects it has on the larger society in which it is situated. This conference includes presentations from members of the Asian Civil Society Research Network and Asia Institute Research Cluster on Asian Civil Society.

We will address these questions:

1. How is civil society conceived by particular actors, including civil society organisations, individual activists, intellectuals, and the state?

2. What organisational forms are favoured, eschewed, and promoted by particular actors?

3. With the rise of particular forms of globally recognised and recognisable civil society formations, like NGOs and private philanthropy foundations, what kinds of innovations distinguish particular civil society groups from others within the same country, region, or globally?

4. How do changes in technology and technologies of governance create, inhibit, or challenge particular formations of civil society actors and approaches?

This is part of a continuing series of international conferences that AI Research Cluster on Asian Civil Society has been organising since 2017.

Conference organisers:

Akihiro Ogawa: akihiro.ogawa@unimelb.edu.au

Anthony Spires: anthony.spires@unimelb.edu.au

Conference administration:

Lu Lin: lu.lin@unimelb.edu.au