Problematic Public Lippmann, Dewey, and Democracy in the Twenty-First Century
Produktdetaljer
Biographical note
Kristian Bjørkdahl is Associate Professor of Rhetoric in the Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Oslo.
<p>“Intrinsic to the tradition of democratic politics is debate over the nature of democracy itself, and Bjørkdahl’s volume is a worthy contribution to our perennial deliberations. Its chapters examine the influential democratic theories of two of the most prominent public intellectuals of the twentieth century—philosopher John Dewey and journalist Walter Lippmann—and show how their penetrating analyses can help us navigate the serious challenges facing democracy in the twenty-first century.”</p><p>—William M. Curtis, author of <i>Defending Rorty: Pragmatism and Liberal Virtue</i></p>
Almost one hundred years have passed since Walter Lippmann and John Dewey published their famous reflections on the “problems of the public,” but their thoughts remain surprisingly relevant as resources for thinking through our current crisis-plagued predicament. This book takes stock of the reception history of Lippmann’s and Dewey’s ideas about publics, communication, and political decision-making and shows how their ideas can inspire a way forward.
Lippmann and Dewey were only two of many twentieth-century thinkers trying to imagine how a modern industrial democracy might (or might not) come to pass, but despite that, the “Lippmann/Dewey debate” became a symbol of the two alleged options: an epistocracy, on the one hand, and grassroots participation, on the other. In this book, distinguished scholars from rhetoric, communication, sociology, and media and journalism studies reconsider this debate in order to assess its contemporary relevance for our time, which, in some respects, bears a striking resemblance to the 1920s. In this way, the book explains how and why Lippmann and Dewey are indispensable resources for anyone concerned with the future of democratic deliberation and decision-making.
In addition to the editor, the contributors to this volume include Nathan Crick, Robert Danisch, Steve Fuller, William Keith, Bruno Latour, John Durham Peters, Patricia Roberts-Miller, Michael Schudson, Anna Shechtman, Slavko Splichal, Lisa S. Villadsen, and Scott Welsh.
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Lippmann, Dewey, and Democracy in a Hailstorm
Kristian Bjørkdahl
1 A “Constituency of Intangibles”: Walter Lippmann’s Plea for a Better Democracy
Michael Schudson
2 The Lippmann/Lippmann Debate: What Role Do Social Movements Play in Democratic Politics?
Nathan Crick
3 From the Illusions of Democracy to the Realities of Its Appearances
Bruno Latour
4 Debates Conjured, Debates Forgotten
Anna Shechtman and John Durham Peters
5 Societal Embedding of the Lippmann/Dewey Debate: From Opinion Expression to Opinion Polling and Mining
Slavko Splichal
6 The Lippmann/Dewey Debate in the History of Twentieth-Century Progressivism
Steve Fuller
7 Propaedeutic Rhetorical Citizenship: Deweyan Impulses in Danish Community-Building
Lisa S. Villadsen
8 A Public and Its Solutions: Lippmann and Dewey Through the Prism of Norwegian Social Democracy
Kristian Bjørkdahl
9 Democracy Now: Recovering the Political Pragmatism of Walter Lippmann and John Dewey
Scott Welsh
10 Democratic Deliberation, Identity, and Information
Patricia Roberts-Miller
11 Rhetorical Sociology and the Management of Public Discourse
Robert Danisch and William Keith
List of Contributors
Index
A timely book that provides suggestions on how to engage with the public to stop the decline of liberal democracy around the world.
This volume places the famous debate between Lippmann and Dewey within a broader history of intellectual thought, reevaluating both sides of the exchange and challenging its traditional narrative.
Features contributions from top tier scholars in rhetoric, media, political science, and sociology.
Rhetoric and Democratic Deliberation focuses on the interplay of public discourse, politics, and democratic action. Engaging with diverse theoretical, cultural, and critical perspectives, books published in this series offer fresh perspectives on rhetoric as it relates to education, social movements, and governments throughout the world.
Rhetoric and Democratic Deliberation publishes books on the character and quality of public discourse in politics and culture. Written by scholars in communication, rhetoric, writing, and critical pedagogy, and informed by diverse theoretical and cultural perspectives, books in the series examine forms and practices of democracy and deliberation across the globe. They consider the issues of participation, activism, exclusion, and resistance that affect social movements, governments, and education. The series is published in association with the Penn State {{http://cdd.la.psu.edu/mission/projects/projects/rhetoric-democratic-deliberation}{Center for Democratic Deliberation}}, an interdisciplinary resource for research, teaching, and engaged scholarship on issues of rhetoric, civic engagement, and public deliberation.
Produktdetaljer
Biographical note
Kristian Bjørkdahl is Associate Professor of Rhetoric in the Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Oslo.