1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910457344703321

Autore

Boyte Harry Chatten <1945->

Titolo

Everyday politics [[electronic resource] ] : reconnecting citizens and public life / / Harry C. Boyte

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Philadelphia, : University of Pennsylvania Press, c2004

ISBN

1-283-21219-6

9786613212191

0-8122-0421-2

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (258 p.)

Disciplina

306.2/0973

Soggetti

Political participation - United States

Political culture - United States

Power (Social sciences) - United States

Electronic books.

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

First paperback edition 2005.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. [195]-223) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface: Developing a Theory and Practice of Everyday Politics -- 1. The Stirrings of a New Politics -- 2. Populisms -- 3. The Growth of Everyday Politics -- 4. Citizenship as Public Work -- 5. Citizen Education as a Craft, Not a Program -- 6. The Jane Addams School for Democracy -- 7. Professions as Public Work -- 8. "Architects of Democracy" -- 9. Spreading Everyday Politics -- 10. Freedom -- Notes -- Index -- Acknowledgments

Sommario/riassunto

Increasingly a spectator sport, electoral politics have become bitterly polarized by professional consultants and lobbyists and have been boiled down to the distributive mantra of "who gets what." In Everyday Politics, Harry Boyte transcends partisan politics to offer an alternative. He demonstrates how community-rooted activities reconnect citizens to engaged, responsible public life, and not just on election day but throughout the year. Boyte demonstrates that this type of activism has a rich history and strong philosophical foundation. It rests on the stubborn faith that the talents and insights of ordinary citizens-from nursery school to nursing home-are crucial elements in public life.Drawing on concrete examples of successful public work projects



accomplished by diverse groups of people across the nation, Boyte demonstrates how citizens can master essential political skills, such as understanding issues in public terms, mapping complex issues of institutional power to create alliances, raising funds, communicating, and negotiating across lines of difference. He describes how these skills can be used to address the larger challenges of our time, thereby advancing a renewed vision of democratic society and freedom in the twenty-first century.