Ukraine and central europe: ethical horizons of civil society

Abstract

The concept of civil society, which plays a key role in contemporary political and social theories, acquires special significance in the Ukrainian context. Its development did not occur through the gradual evolution of liberal democracy, but rather emerged from dramatic political ruptures, postcolonial transformations, and the prolonged influence of a totalitarian system. During the Soviet era, the very notion of civil society was excluded from official academic discourse, and any attempts to conceptualize it were perceived as a threat to the existing political model.