The Civil Sphere
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From classical to contemporary times, philosophers and social scientists have tried to describe what binds societies together and how these social orders can be structured in a fair way. Power and self-interest are crucial, but they aren't enough. Ethical and emotional convictions are necessary as well. How then do real individuals live together in societies in the real world? Jeffrey 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 actually are. Solidarity, Alexander shows, is a basic social force. It creates inclusive and exclusive social structures and shows how they can be repaired. Solidarity is "a common secular faith" driving people to coexist and respect one another. It is not perfect, it is not absolute, and the horrors which occur in its lapses have been seen all too frequently in the forms of discrimination, genocide, and war. Despite its worldly flaws and contradictions, however, solidarity and the project of civil society remain our best hope: the antidote to every divisive institution, every unfair distribution, every abusive and dominating hierarchy. Alexander shows us that it is inside this world of civil values and institutions that we develop our capacity for social criticism and democratic integration, that we can step back and reach beyond the here and now to the ideal of a broadly solidaristic humanity. At once a grand and sweeping statement and a rigorous empirical investigation, The Civil Sphere is a major contribution to our thinking about the real but ideal world in which we all reside.Reviews
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 and offers an insightful and non-reductive account of the struggles against such violations, for what he calls "civil repair". He provides fascinating analyses, among other events, of the civil rights movements, and of modern anti-Semitism."--Charles Taylor, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, McGill University
"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 theory of civil society that Jeffrey Alexander develops in The Civil Sphere ranks with the equally monumental achievements of Habermas (1992/1996) and Cohen and Arato (1992)."--Journal of Communication Inquiry
"This book represents the culmination and distillation of many years of scholarly activity. It offers not only acute theoretical discussion of the civil society concept, but also generous and expansive accounts of social movements of race and gender, and the theory and practice of multiculturalism and assimilation....It is written with clarity and grace. It is eminently readable. This subtle and hugely informative work may not be Alexander's last word on the subject, but it is certainly his most engaging as well as his most complete."--Contemporary Sociology
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 and offers an insightful and non-reductive account of the struggles against such violations, for what he calls "civil repair". He provides fascinating analyses, among other events, of the civil rights movements, and of modern anti-Semitism."--Charles Taylor, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, McGill University
"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
"[This] is a book about the need to place justice at the centre of the sociological enterprise... One of its most distinctive and welcome features is its insistence that good social theories have a disclosing power that is practically efficacious... Its most significant contribution...is its presentation of a strong vision of civil society and the case it makes for taking up the project of civil repair. By arguing persuasively that the civil sphere is a great achievement of Western modernity, and by encouraging us to work towards its realization, the book itself is a remarkable achievement."--Philosophy and Social Criticisms
"All sociologists, social scientists or writers probably nurture some secret ambition of writing a mega book that will immortalize them by its originality, the persuasiveness of arguments, impact, or its sheer size. For Jeffrey Alexander this is it. A magisterial book, a contribution to social theory that will be talked about, criticized and never overlooked."--Asian Journal of Social Science
About the Author(s)
Jeffrey C. Alexander is Lillian Chavenson Saden Professor of Sociology at Yale University, and a Director of the Center for Cultural Sociology. He is also the author of The Meanings of Social Life: A Cultural Sociology (Oxford, 2003).
