Civility and Subversion: The Intellectual in Democratic Society

ISBN-13: 9780521627238 / Angielski / Miękka / 1998 / 264 str.

Jeffrey C. Goldfarb

Opis

This book provides a new account of the role of the intellectual in democracy. Arguing that society suffers from a systemic deliberation deficit, Jeffrey Goldfarb explores the potential of the intellectual as democratic agent, civilizing political contestation and subverting complacent consensus. Intellectuals are special kinds of "strangers" who pay careful attention to their critical faculties and are uniquely equipped to address the most pressing issues of today. A diverse set of intellectuals in action are analyzed, from Socrates to Central European political dissidents, from Malcolm X to Toni Morrison.

Recenzje

"This is a fine book. It is also an honest book. It avoids easy rhetoric and facile posturing. It will, no doubt, annoy some of its readers. It contributes to an important debate, the significance of which extendds beyond the confines of the American academy." Jeremy Jennings, Social Forces

Spis treści

1. Introduction; 2. Who are the intellectuals?; 3. The civil intellectual and the public; 4. The subversive intellectual and the public; 5. The civil society ideal; 6. The intellectuals and the politics of culture after Communism; 7. The university; 8. Race and discursive disruption; 9. Race and sustained deliberation; 10. Why is there no feminism after Communism?; 11. Civility and subversion in cynical times.