The Civil Sphere

by Jeffrey C. Alexander

Book Overview

What binds societies together and how can these social orders be structured in a fair way? Jeffrey C. Alexander's masterful work, The Civil Sphere, addresses this central paradox of modern life. Feelings for others--the solidarity that is ignored or underplayed by theories of power or self-interest--are at the heart of this novel inquiry into the meeting place between normative theories of what we think we should do and empirical studies of who we...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195369300
• ISBN13: 9780195369304
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 814 Pages
• Weight: 2.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A Triumph of Interpretive Sociology

The strength of an individual's social loyalties diminishes progressively as the target of loyalty moves from family, to community, to nation, and beyond. The social distances involved are also lessened by cultural, ethnic, and religious similarities. Family and community ties have existed since H. sapiens emerged as a hunter-gather species, but other loyalties are of more recent vintage. The rise of states in the early-modern period, for instance, did little to instill in citizens a sense of national moral identity. Such a sense arose only after the more recent nation-building period in modern Europe. Historian Eric Hobsbawm's The Invention of Tradition (1992) provides a thoroughly researched analysis of the historical process of the creation of social loyalties in the service of a variety of social groups and movements. Once created, and consolidated by the extension of mass democratic participation, of course, national loyalties have become keys to personal identification and motivation in the 21st century. But, what exactly is it that people have in common when they identify with others in protecting and defending home and hearth? Who is the "we" when we say "we and they?" We certainly do not mean the state or the economy, which we treat as instrumental toward meeting our needs and of which we are generally otherwise wary. Nor is it simply the citizenry. Indeed, through long periods of American history, blacks, Jews, Catholics, and even women were "them" and not "us" when the basic political identifications of powerful "insiders" were involved. It is critical to understand that movements for racial and gender equality as well as religious and ethnic tolerance, have not been simply materialistic ploys for gaining a larger share of the pie for participants, but rather intimately involve transforming the social landscape by admitting new, full-fledged members of the mutually-supporting "insiders" who define our basic social identifications. Of course, in the heat of struggle for a new social identity, "outsiders" rarely admit that they simply want in. Rather they tend to make extravagant claims concerning the need to reorganize social life as a whole to accommodate their presence, and they tend to view pitched social battle, not a placid civil sphere, as the natural state of affairs. However, in virtually all cases, once admitted into the realm of the "insiders," these claims diminish in intensity and eventually are reduced to a low murmur, at best. In the long run, the natural state of a relatively harmonious sphere of the "we," surrounded by a stable boundary separating the "we" from the "they." What, then, is the "we?" In The Civil Sphere, Jeffery Alexander, among the most respected of contemporary sociologists, takes on the ambitious task of analyzing this hitherto unrecognized object of loyalty and commitment available to members of democratic societies. The civil sphere, for Alexander, is narrower than the "civil society" of classi

Advance Praise for The Civil Sphere

"Arguably the most probing and insightful examination of civil society in America since Tocqueville's Democracy in America. He offers a penetrating and original causal interpretation of the success of the Civil Rights Movement, and addresses with understanding and fresh perspective the question of Jewish assimilation in post-civil rights America. Alexander's long awaited book establishes a new benchmark for cultural sociology and social theory with its rigorous theoretical and historical analysis of transformative societal change." -- Victor Nee, Goldwin Smith Professor of Sociology, Cornell University "Jeffrey Alexander's The Civil Sphere is the most important, effective, and readable book in his distinguished career. A powerful and provocative account of civil society, this brilliant piece of theorizing is fueled by an expansive moral vision. Alexander punctures the overblown claims of other thinkers both left and right, and stunningly combines theoretical vigor with a subtle, becoming humility in the face of the best achievements and most compelling aspirations of the civil sphere." -- Michael Schudson, Professor of Communication, University of California at San Diego "An original portrait of civil society which addresses issues which must be addressed if we are to live in peace with those unlike ourselves. The Civil Sphere is remarkable for its clarity and depth of exposition. All readers will benefit from Alexander's ideas: he does not try to batter the reader into submission; instead, he embodies the very ideal of civil society, by inviting the reader to argue with him. In sum, an extraordinary and necessary book." -- Richard Sennett, Professor of Sociology, The London School of Economics "This is a Herculean labor in which Alexander not only deconstructs the discourse of "civil society" but reevaluates the entire tradition of political and social thought which attempted to establish, justify, and actualize this abstract idea." -- Hayden White, Professor Emeritus of the History of Consciousness, University of California "Long recognized as one of the world's foremost intellects, in The Civil Sphere Jeffrey Alexander delivers a masterpiece. In this breathtakingly erudite tour of literature, history, philosophy, and social science scholarship, from Hannah Arendt to Woody Allen, Alexander takes on in a single volume both foundational questions of the human condition and the political exigencies of our day. The result is a book that will wholly transform the conceptual landscape; from this point forward we will recognize that the civil sphere's potential for social justice can only be an ongoing project, never a finished achievement." -- Margaret R. Somers, Professor of Sociology, University of Michigan "The Civil Sphere is at once an energizing ideal for democratic society, and a source of violations of its own ethos. Jeffrey Alexander's well-argued book identifies this crucial level on which liberal democratic societies must operate an