''Written with uncommon imagination, this beautifully-realized book challenges too narrow a focus on formal institutions and the electoral process. Written in the spirit of Tocqueville as a sociology of democracy and of Habermas as a probe of the public realm, it deepens our understanding of the foundations of democratic culture, including civic values and the patterns of communication, association, and ... Read moreaction that give shape and meaning to democratic citizenship.'' Ira Katznelson, Columbia University ''In this bold reconceptualization of American democracy, Andrew Perrin introduces what he correctly calls a new sociology of publics. Perrin draws our attention to the dynamism inherent in American democracy by showing how democracy is learned and practiced as citizens interact with institutions. An important contribution that will inspire fresh thinking about what sustains democratic practice in the United States and how it might be re-energized.'' Margaret Weir, University of California Berkeley Show Less