Nearly all the texts included in this issue of Sociological Revue relate to civil society and participative democracy. The articles present various approaches to these phenomena and their aspects, and are based on empirical data. The large article by F. Schütze is focused on the results of research previously presented in Sociological Review (vol. 60–2011/1 and vol. 57–2008/4). This international research project is devoted to European identity and civil society, as a result of which, the author proposes the design of a learning program for civil society activists and common citizens. The next article by A. Krzewińska describes the method of study of deliberative democracy developed by James Fishkin. J. Stempień proposes the economic concept of Principal-agent to investigate representative democracy systems. M. Legris Revel analyses research results in France concerning the process of institutionalisation and proceduralisation of the participation of citizens. C. Penna proposes the actor-network approach to investigate the relationships between social movements and the state during the land reform in Brazil. The last article by M. Wieczorkowska is devoted to a different topic – the cultural and social aspects of the female body in the context of medicalisation.