The present book shows that the Tunisian civil society in its different manifestations can not only look back to a long history, but has also survived a series of authoritarian political regimes, providing Tunisia ever again with perspectives for democratic development. Our book shows not only why Tunisia’s civil society survived authoritarian regimes, but also how Tunisian civil society associations informed Tunisia’s development after the revolution in 2010/2011. Our book thus provides “food for thought” with respect to the question how we can understand the development and survival of civil society formations under adverse circumstances.