Citizenship, social participation and political mobilization

Abstract First, I will discuss the notions of citizenship and civil society in order to show their historical evolution in relation to each other. Second, I will show the way in which a new type of social contract – the so-called Welfare State – will emerge in the demo-liberal countries after the 1929 crisis and the 2nd World War. Then, I will identify the notion of social capital as a privileged vehicle of the social processes of inclusion versus exclusion. Finally, I will present the results of an international survey that allows to identify comparative characteristics present in modern processes of association, mobilization, and socio--cultural change.