Avoiding Politics - How Americans Produce Apathy in Everyday Life

Klappentext Nina Eliasoph's vivid portrait of American civic life reveals an intriguing culture of political avoidance. Despite the importance for democracy of open-ended political conversation among ordinary citizens, many Americans try hard to avoid appearing to care about politics. To discover how, where and why Americans create this culture of avoidance, the author accompanied suburban volunteers, activists, and recreation club members for over two years, listening to them talk - and avoid talking - about the wider world, together and in encounters with government, media, and corporate authorities. She shows how citizens create and express ideas in everyday life, contrasting their privately expressed convictions with their lack of public political engagement. Her book challenges received ideas about culture, power and democracy, while exposing the hard work of producing apathy. Zusammenfassung A unique and vivid study of American civic life which shows how citizens talk politics in private! while avoiding politics in public. Nina Eliasoph challenges received ideas about culture! power! and democracy and exposes the hard work of producing political apathy. Inhaltsverzeichnis Acknowledgements; 1. The mysterious shrinking circle of concern; 2. Volunteers trying to make sense of the world; 3. 'Close to home' and 'for the children': trying really hard not to care; 4. Humour, nostalgia and commercial culture in the postmodern public sphere; 5. Creating ignorance and memorizing facts: how Buffaloes understood politics; 6. Strenuous disengagement and cynical chic solidarity; 7. Activists carving out a place in the public sphere for discussion; 8. Newspapers in the cycle of political evaporation; 9. The evaporation of politics in the US public sphere; Appendices; Notes; References; Index.

Dettagli sul prodotto

• Autori: Nina Eliasoph, Nina (Professor Eliasoph, Eliasoph Nina
• Editore: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Lingue: Inglese
• Formato: Copertina rigida
• Pubblicazione: 13.08.1998
• EAN: 9780521582933
• ISBN: 978-0-521-58293-3
• Pagine: 344
• Serie: Cambridge Cultural Social Stud; Cambridge Cultural Social Studies
• Categorie: Saggistica > Politica, società, economia > Politica; Scienze sociali, diritto, economia > Scienze politiche > Scienze politiche e cittadinanza attiva; USA, Cultural Studies, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / American Government / General, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / General, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, Politics & government, United States of America, USA, Politics and government, Sociology & anthropology, Sociology and anthropology