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A distinguished group of scholars and prominent figures here offers thoughtful new perspectives on the tenor and conduct of public life in contemporary America. Originating in a shared concern that our civic culture was becoming coarser and more polarized, Public Discourse in America provides a critical corrective to this widespread misperception about declining civility in public culture and the ways we as citizens negotiate our differences. Together these essays explore the current condition and centrality of public discourse in our democracy, investigating how it has changed through our history and whether it fails to approach our widely held, but often unarticulated, ideal of "reasoned and reasonable" public deliberation. Contributors consider whether rationality is really the best standard for public discussion and argument, and isolate the features and principles that would characterize a truly exemplary, more productive public discourse at the beginning of the twenty-first century. They investigate why public conversations work when they work well, and why they often fail when we need them the most, as in our nation's so often aborted "national conversation" on race.Taking a comprehensive look at institutional and leadership practices in recent public debates over a variety of "hot button" public policy issues, Public Discourse in America outlines how such conversations can be used to reintegrate our fragmented communities and bridge barriers of difference and hostility among communities and individuals. These essays speak to urgent and perennial questions about the nature of American society, the responsibilities of leaders, the rules of democracy, and the role of public culture in times of crisis, conflict, and rapid change. Public Discourse in America originated in the work of the Penn National Commission on Society, Culture, and Community, convened in 1996 by Judith Rodin, President of the University of Pennsylvania. Distinguished members of the Commission, leading experts, commissioned researchers, and leaders in America's nascent public discourse movement offer unexpected insights and an optimistic vision of the health of our politics and culture.Readers-of all political persuasions-from the halls of political power to the streets of urban neighborhoods, from newsrooms and studios to think tanks and universities, will find these essays opening up new paths to robust public discussion, more engaged citizenship, and stronger communities. Contributors include: Joyce Appleby, Thomas Bender, Derek Bok, Alex Boraine, Graham G. Dodds, Christopher Edley, Jr., Drew Gilpin Faust, Neal Gabler, Richard Lapchick, Don M. Randel, Richard Rodriguez, Jay Rosen, David M. Ryfe, Michael Schudson, Neil Smelser, and Robert H. Wiebe.
Contents
PrologueIntroduction: Incivility and Public Discourse -Judith Rodin and Stephen P. Steinberg PART ONE. PUBLIC DISCOURSE AND DEMOCRACY 1. The Thinning of American Political Culture -Thomas Bender 2. Primary Tensions in American Public Life -Robert H. Wiebe 3. Deliberative Democracy and Public Discourse 4. Affirmative Action and the Culture of Intolerance -Christopher Edley, Jr 5. The North American -Richard Rodriguez 6. Sports and Public Behavior -Richard Lapchick 7. Performance, Debate, or Productive Conversation? Imagining an Exemplary Conversation on Race -Drew Gilpin Faust and Members of the Penn National Commission PART THREE. LEADING THE PUBLIC'S CONVERSATION: Democratic Society -Michael Schudson 9. Political Leadership in the Great Health Care Debate of 1993-1994 -Derek Bok 10. Part of Our World: Journalism as Civic Leadership -Jay Rosen 11. Modeling Public Discourse in Popular AND FORGIVENESS 12. Creating a National Discourse: Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa -Alex Boraine 13. Political Apologies and Public Discourse -Graham G. Dodds PART FIVE: Thickening Public Discourse: Principles and Practices 14. The Principles of Public Discourse: What Is Good Public Discourse? -David M. Ryfe 15. A Paradox of Public Discourse and Political Democracy -Neil Smelser 16. The Practice of Public Discourse: A Study of Sixteen Discourse Organizations -David M. Ryfe 17. Lessons from the Field: Practitioner Perspectives on Public Discourse Programs -Jay Rosen and Members of the Penn National Commission PART SIX: CREATING COMMUNITY THROUGH PUBLIC DISCOURSE 18. Building Community in the Twenty-First Century -Joyce Appleby 19. The Myth of Academic Community -Don M. Randel 20. The University as Discourse Community -Judith Rodin 21. Creating Community in Cyberspace: Criteria for a Discourse Technology Project -Stephen P. Steinberg Epilogue: The Centrality of Public Discourse -Stephen P. Steinberg Notes Contributors Bibliography Index Members of the Penn National Commission on Society, Culture and Community Acknowledgments
