The Centre for Civil Society (CCS) aims to advance socioeconomic and environmental justice by developing critical knowledge about, for and in dialogue with civil society through teaching, research and publishing.  CCS was established in 2001 to promote the study of the civil society sector as a legitimate and flourishing area of scholarly activity in South Africa. CCS’s mandate is to promote partnerships around knowledge sharing and capacity building and develop courses that teach about the civil society sector as well as offering courses for those in the sector itself. CCS is guided by an ethos that attempts to link, inspire and partner rather than implement, dictate and compete.