What happens when the concept of civil society moves from academia and policy contexts into other lives and worlds? Refractions of Civil Society in Turkey is a study of the makings, meanings, and magic of civil society. It explores how civil society as a social imagining is evoked and brought to life among civic activists in Turkey. The book illustrates that civil society is a contested concept which emerges as part of a social legitimacy struggle to represent authentic civil society. Moreover, the book shows that civil society becomes powerful because it constitutes a means for civic activists to experience themselves as authentic subjects.