Cultural Dilemmas of Progressive Politics: Styles of Engagement Among Grassroots Activists

by Hart, Stephen

• ISBN13: 9780226318189
• ISBN10: 0226318184
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-05-01
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

Why have conservatives fared so much better than progressives in recent decades, even though polls show no significant move to the right in public opinion? Cultural Dilemmas of Progressive Politics highlights one reason: that progressives often adopt impoverished modes of discourse, ceding the moral high ground to their conservative rivals. Stephen Hart also shows that some progressive groups are pioneering more robust ways of talking about their issues and values, providing examples other progressives could emulate. Through case studies of grassroots movements--particularly the economic justice work carried on by congregation-based community organizing and the pursuit of human rights by local members of Amnesty International--Hart shows how these groups develop distinctive ways of talking about politics and create characteristic stories, ceremonies, and practices. According to Hart, the way people engage in politics matters just as much as the content of their ideas: when activists make the moral basis for their activism clear, engage issues with passion, and articulate a unified social vision, they challenge the recent ascendancy of conservative discourse. On the basis of these case studies, Hart addresses currently debated topics such as individualism in America and whether strains of political thought strongly informed by religion and moral values are compatible with tolerance and liberty.

Author Biography

Stephen Hart is an adjunct member of the sociology department at State University of New York, Buffalo. He is the author of What Does the Lord Require? How American Christians Think about Economic Justice.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Acknowledgments	xi
I. How We Engage in Politics and Why It Matters
Varying Styles of Political Activity	3	(24)
II. Congregation - Based Community Organizing
How Congregation-Based Community Organizing Works	27	(22)
The Religious and Political Perspective of Community Organizing	49	(33)
Stories and Practices of Community Organizing	82	(41)
Conclusion to Part II: Expansive and Constrained Discourse in Community Organizing	108	(15)
III. Human Rights and Amnesty International
The Human Rights Tradition and Amnesty International	123	(23)
Cultural Work in Amnesty International	146	(43)
Conclusion to Part III: Dilemmas in Human Rights Discourse	176	(13)
IV. How Should We Talk about Politics?
Individualism and Its Discontents	189	(23)
Integrating Culture and Politics	212	(41)
Appendixes
A. Results from Two National Surveys of Congregation-Based Community Organizing	231	(5)
B. A Catholic Framework for Economic Life (U.S. Catholic Conference)	236	(2)
C. Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (Republic of France)	238	(3)
D. The Bill of Rights and Supporting Documents (United States of America)	241	(3)
E. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations)	244	(6)
F. Excerpts from the Statute of Amnesty International	250	(3)
Notes	253	(24)
Index	277