The idea of civility goes back to classical Rome and the ways in
which citizens engaged one another within the republic. The term itself
is often used in a number of different ways, reflecting expected
behavior, particularly in public spaces, and as a mechanism to manage
human interaction. But civility and the use of this idea often shape
hierarchical relationships within society and within politics and may
define who is to be included within the polis and who may be excluded.
Thus, the conversations that led to the new book, Civility Unbound: Contesting a Democratic Value,
interrogated the idea of civility in many of its facets and did not
necessarily settle on a simple definition or means of implementing
civility within contemporary society. Michael DiNiscia, Director of
Research and Strategic Initiatives at New York University’s Brademas
Center, and Ellyn Toscano, Director of the Hawthorndon Foundation,
edited this valuable exploration of the idea of civility within
democracy. In so doing, they brought together academics, politicians and
former politicians, activists, artists, and individuals from the
foundation world to discuss this controversial idea of civility,
unpacking the term, the way it is used, and how society may consider
civility within the realm of politics and public life.
I had the pleasure of discussing Civility Unbound
with Michael DiNiscia and Hussein Rashid, one of the contributing
authors. Our conversation covered the content of the book, tracing the
sections that include philosophy and political theory, democratic
institutions and politics, social justice and protest, media engagement,
and lessons from arts and culture. The chapters are fascinating and
accessible. As a reader, you feel as though you are part of the ongoing
conversation with the various authors, since the chapters are in
dialogue with each other and with the reader, without coming to a
consensus on the role and capacity of civility within democratic society
but with many paths to consider. The impetus for this book, and for
focusing on the idea of civility, grew out of the events of January 6,
2021, and an overarching question about whether the United States could
return to a state of civility in our politics, after we had witnessed
the violent insurrection that attempted to stymie the constitutional
process of tallying Electoral College votes. Civility Unbound: Contesting a Democratic Value brings many voices together to, in a way, respond to this violence, this incivility that had been demonstrated by a group of American
citizens.
The various contributing authors to Civility Unbound
take up the theory and practice of civility, trying to determine what it
actually means and the rules around civility and political engagement.
Across the chapters we find that there is a paradox around civility,
around who is asked to “remain civil” and who gets to define what
civility means. Civility may well reside within power relationships and
dynamics, with rules applied to some groups or individuals and not to
others. Invoking civility may well surface inequalities and the unequal
places and footing of those engaging in politics and society. This is
particularly important to consider in context of American democracy, and
the unequal distribution of power and state violence inherent in the
American state. Civility Unbound: Contesting a Democratic Value prompts the reader to consider how democratic engagement works and how we are to participate in attempts at self-rule.
We discussed the First America podcast during the conversation. Here is a link to the podcast website: First America Podcast
Lilly J. Goren is a professor of political science at Carroll University in Waukesha, WI. She is co-host of the New Books in Political Science channel at the New Books Network. She is co-editor of The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Volume I: The Infinity Saga (University Press of Kansas, 2022), and of The Politics of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Volume II: Into the Multiverse (University Press of Kansas, 2025) as well as co-editor of the award winning book, Women and the White House: Gender, Popular Culture, and Presidential Politics
(University Press of Kentucky, 2012). She can be reached @gorenlj.bsky.social
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