Routledge A Crisis of Civility?: Political Discourse and Its Discontents

The state of political discourse in the United States today has been a subject of concern for many Americans. Political incivility is not merely a problem for political elites; political conversations between American citizens have also become more difficult and tense. The 2016 presidential elections featured campaign rhetoric designed to inflame the general public. Yet the 2016 election was certainly not the only cause of incivility among citizens. There have been many instances in recent years where reasoned discourse in our universities and other public venues has been threatened. This book was undertaken as a response to these problems. It presents and develops a more robust discussion of what civility is, why it matters, what factors might contribute to it, and what its consequences are for democratic life. The authors included here pursue three major questions: Is the state of American political discourse today really that bad, compared to prior eras; what lessons about civility can we draw from the 2016 election; and how have changes in technology such as the development of online news and other means of mediated communication changed the nature of our discourse? This book seeks to develop a coherent, civil conversation between divergent contemporary perspectives in political science, communications, history, sociology, and philosophy. This multidisciplinary approach helps to reflect on challenges to civil discourse, define civility, and identify its consequences for democratic life in a digital age. In this accessible text, an all-star cast of contributors tills the earth in which future discussion on civility will be planted. Review “The publication of this book is a call to join with the National Institute for Civil Discourse in its mission of improving our spaces for civic dialogue. Fundamentally, I believe that to achieve the aspirations expressed in our founding documents, we must be able to engage in civil public conversations among citizens of the greatest possible diversity all across the country.” - Gabrielle Giffords, former U.S. Representative, from the Foreword “A Crisis of Civility? is vital to our national dialogue on the exigency of civility in our society.  In these pages, a network of prominent scholars make a compelling case for civility as the one essential mechanism for distilling the vast diversity of ideologies and opinions in America, so that we can arrive at solutions to our most pressing challenges.  Today’s forces of division and proliferation of sensationalism have combined as virulent enemies of civility.  Fortunately, the National Institute for Civil Discourse is leading the movement to revive civility, compromise, and consensus building.  Now, we must all join the cause and remind one another that, as we debate our differences, our use of words is powerful and critically important in setting a constructive tone for the important conversations that will determine America’s future.” - Olympia Snowe, Senior Fellow, the Bipartisan Policy Senator; Former United States Senator “Americans all along the political spectrum are worried about our ability to get along and develop constructive solutions for our political problems.  So many of our country’s challenges are made even more difficult by a lack of opportunities to engage in civil discourse, to talk across the boundaries that can too often divide us.  The chapters in this book provide clear-eyed discussions of contemporary politics that help us to understand how we got to this point and how we can work together to improve our democracy.  This is essential reading for scholars, practitioners, and anyone concerned about our nation’s future.” - Tom Daschle, Founder and CEO, The Daschle Group; Former Senator and Senate Majority Leader “As the media continues to cover our increasingly coarsened political, public and even private discourse, this research will be critically important to our understanding of how words can b