Alternate Civilities is an anthropologist's answer to the argument that China's cultural tradition renders it incapable of achieving an open political system. It compares China with the vibrant democracy that has developed over the last decade in Taiwan.

Preface -- Culture, Economy, and the Roots of Civil Change -- Legacies -- The Limits to Authority -- Business and the Limits to Civil Association -- Religion: Local Association and Split Market Cultures -- Forms of Association and Social Action -- Alternate Civilities and Political Change -- Chinese Character List