Introduction. Civil society activism under authoritarian constraints -- Everyday citizenship under authoritarianism: the cases of Spain and Portugal / Pedro Ramos Pinto -- Dissident writings as political theory on civil society and democracy / Marlies Glasius -- Civil society activism and authoritarian rule in Romania and Chile / Caterina Preda -- Contesting order in Tunisia: crafting political identity / Laryssa Chomiak and John Entelis -- Voice, not democracy. civil society, ethnic politics and the search for political space in Central Asia / Matteo Fumagalli -- The influence of civil society activism on regional governance structures in the Russian Federation / Karina Mikirova, Kathrin Mueller and Johannes Schuhmann -- Entrenching authoritarianism or promoting reform? civil society in contemporary Yemen / Vincent Durac -- Relations between professional associations and the state in Jordan / Janine Clark -- Transnational activism under authoritarianism in Myanmar / Adam Simpson -- Civil society in the digital age: how the internet changes state-society relations in authoritarian regimes. the case of Cuba / Bert Hoffmann -- Reconsidering two myths about civil society. evidence from Afghanistan / Kevin Gray.