The Democratic Faith: Essays on Democratic Citizenship

The Democratic Faith: Essays on Democratic Citizenship
ISBN-10
0300197098
ISBN-13
9780300197099
Category
Political Science
Pages
200
Language
English
Published
2017-01-01
Publisher
Yale University Press
Author
Paul M. Sniderman

Description

Can the citizens of a democracy be trusted to run it properly? Modern political science has concentrated on cataloguing voters' failings--their lack of knowledge, tolerance, or consistency in political thinking. While it would be a mistake to think this portrait of citizens is simply wrong, it is a deeper mistake to accept it as a satisfactory likeness. In this book, Paul Sniderman demonstrates that a concentration on the pathologies of citizens' political thinking has obscured the intense clash of opposing belief systems in the electorate. He shows how a concentration on racism has distorted understanding of the politics of race by keeping out of sight those who think well of black Americans. And he exposes the fallacy of spotlighting the dangers of mass politics while ignoring those of elite politics.

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