The article assumes that the heterogeneity of the civil society does not allow an a priori exclusion of violence in its forms of expression, and opposes, therefore, the contemporary views that postulate a character necessarily democratic and peaceful of its associations. The study is divided into three sections. The first intends to reconstruct the conceptions of the resurgence of the civil society, highlighting their elective affinities with the idea of democracy. The second analyzes the criteria associated to the membership of groups in civil society and their relation with violence. Finally, the third one provides a typology of civil, non-civil and anti-civil dimensions of the associations’ behavior, which are in constant dispute within civil society. In confronting their dark side, the article also aim at discussing the issue of the strengthening the civil normative core of civil society. It seeks to develop as well the operational aspect of the concepts involved.
Civil Society; Associations; Violence; Democracy