CIVIL SOCIETY AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AS IMAGE AND REALITY

The concepts of civil society and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are both commonly used in daily life, but there is no common definition of them. Civil society is related to democracy, democratic culture, public space and new social movements that began in the 1960s. The aim of this study is to reveal the perception of actors participating in the NGOs about civil society and the NGOs themselves. The participants of the study are the actors working at several NGOs in Ankara. The data of the study were collected through survey questionnaires administered to 364 people working at 106 NGOs during December 2006 and January 2007. The findings of the study showed that the participants had uncertain ideas about what the NGOs were just like it is in the literature. It indicates the fact that civil society has pluralism and variety as its basis.