Civic Imagination: Making a Difference in American Political Life [Hardcover]

The Civic Imagination provides a rich empirical description of civic life and a broader discussion of the future of democracy in contemporary America. Over the course of a year, five researchers observed and participated in 7 civic organisations in a mid-sized US city. They draw on this ethnographic evidence to map the 'civic imaginations' that motivate citizenship engagement in America today. The book unpacks how contemporary Americans think about and act toward positive social and political change while the authors' findings challenge contemporary assertions of American apathy. This will be an important book for students and academics interested in political science and sociology.Provides a rich empirical description of civic life and a broader discussion of the future of democracy in contemporary America.This book is a rich source of ethnographic data on peoples participation in voluntary organizations that are often overlooked by researchers themselves as not being political in nature. The Civic Imagination makes a valuable contribution to knowledge of how political activity is defined and redefined over time. It would be of interest to undergraduate or graduate students studying methods/qualitative research, social justice, political behavior, or political theory. Summing Up: Recommended.
CHOICE

I couldn't put down this wonderful book! In a superbly insightful critique, which aims to repair the world instead of just complaining, the authors vividly portray very different types of citizens groups, from the sort that protest failing schools in poor neighborhoods to those that advocate building more dog parks or hosting neighborhood Halloween parades. Each kind has democracy-promoting properties, as well as blind spots. Everyone who thinks about citizens abilities to address our countrys devastating social inequalities should read this gripping, delightful, funny, and theoretically important book.
Nina Eliasoph, autholCc