Introduction: Transnational civil society in Asia

This chapter discusses the theoretical aspects of transnational civil society in Asia examined in the volume along with providing a succinct overview of the content chapters. The chapter first provides a definitional discussion of transnational civil society in Asia, followed by the presentation of the four key themes covered in the chapters: (1) local transformations and connections; (2) diaspora politics; (3) cross-regional initiatives and networks; and (4) global actors and influences. The chapter also poses the question of whether we are witnessing a kind of grassroots regionalization developing in the region.