Rhetoric and Democratic Deliberation. Beyond Civility : : The Competing Obligations of Citizenship / / William Keith, Robert Danisch.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Penn State University Press Complete eBook-Package 2020
• VerfasserIn: Keith, William,; Danisch, Robert,
• Place / Publishing House: University Park, PA : : Penn State University Press, , [2020]; ©2020
• Year of Publication: 2020
• Language: English
• Series: Rhetoric and Democratic Deliberation ; 23
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (200 p.) :; 2 illustrations

From the pundits to the polls, nearly everyone seems to agree that US politics have rarely been more fractious, and calls for a return to “civil discourse” abound. Yet it is also true that the requirements of polite discourse effectively silence those who are not in power, gaming the system against the disenfranchised. What, then, should a democracy do?This book makes a case for understanding civility in a different light. Examining the history of the concept and its basis in communication and political theory, William Keith and Robert Danisch present a clear, robust analysis of civil discourse. Distinguishing it from politeness, they claim that civil argument must be redirected from the goal of political comity to that of building and maintaining relationships of minimal respect in the public sphere. They also take into account how civility enables discrimination, indicating conditions under which uncivil resistance is called for. When viewed as a communication practice for uniting people with differences and making them more equal, civility is transformed from a preferable way of speaking into an essential component of democratic life. Guarding against uncritical endorsement of civility as well as skepticism, Keith and Danisch show with rigor, nuance, and care that the practice of civil communication is both paradoxical and sorely needed. Beyond Civility is necessary reading for our times.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: Why Civility Matters -- 1. Civility as a Moral Quandary and a Political Necessity -- 2. Imagining the Politics of Civility -- 3. Civility in the Discursive Public Sphere -- 4. The Structure, Uses, and Limitations of Incivility -- 5. Strong Civility for Social Justice -- Notes -- References -- Index