The theme explored in this paper concerns the multiple linkages between knowledge, civil society, governance and democracy. I could place this general set of questions within the context of whether or not they are co-determined by the enabling knowledgeability of modern actors and stress the growing possibilities for reflexive cooperation among civil society organizations and social movements, as well as the increasing influence of broad sectors of society in democratic regimes. However my specific objective is necessarily more modest. Access to knowledge and its control are stratified. I shall explore three barriers and hurdles to the access to knowledge and ask: (1) can expertise and civil society be reconciled? (2) is it conceivable to reconcile civil society and knowledge as a form of private property? (3) and finally, are the social sciences and humanities a source for enabling knowledge?
Knowledge; Power; Expertise; Civil Society; Knowledge Society; Democracy