{"product_id":"the-civil-sphere-a-concise-introduction-hardback-9781509560561","title":"The Civil Sphere; A Concise Introduction (Hardback) 9781509560561","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eThe Civil Sphere\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eA Concise Introduction\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003ePeter Kivisto (Author), Giuseppe Sciortino (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781509560561, Polity Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHardback, published 12 December 2025\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e176 pages\u003cbr\u003e21.8 x 14.2 x 2 cm, 0.34 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\"Accessible and expert, \u003ci\u003eThe Civil Sphere\u003c\/i\u003e introduces an essential perspective on modern democratic life. Kivisto and Sciortino explain Civil Sphere Theory's elements, backgruond, competitors, criqitues, and developments. Their important contribution helps everyone who wants to understand the fraught dynamics of democracy.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLyn Spillman, University of Notre Dame\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Jeffrey C. Alexander, one of the most important social theorists of our time, has profoundly recast our understanding of civil society, democracy, and solidarity. Now his ambitious and groundbreaking theory of the civil sphere has the lucid, comprehensive introduction it deserves. Kivisto and Sciortino's masterful guide illuminates Alexander's work in relation to the history of ideas, contemporary debates, and ongoing political struggles.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eChad Alan Goldberg, University of Wisconsin-Madison\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book provides a comprehensive introduction to Jeffrey C. Alexander’s Civil Sphere Theory (CST). It reconstructs the development and key features of this theory and explains why it offers an original and compelling way of thinking about civil society.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book reveals the ways in which the various components of CST come together to offer an illuminating framework for making sense of the complexities, ambiguities, and tensions inherent in modern democracies located in highly differentiated and pluralistic societies. It compares CST to civil society theories from the past and present, along with the idea of the societal community and Habermas’s theory of the public sphere.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmong the topics addressed are the relationship between CST and Alexander’s approach to cultural sociology; the binary character of cultural codes; normative philosophy; the role of social movements in effecting civil repair; and the idea of multiculturalism as a new mode of incorporation that makes possible a politics of recognition. The book assesses the main criticisms of CST and concludes by showing how it has proven to be an ongoing, evolving project that has generated a wide range of empirical research and stimulated further theoretical refinement and development.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003col\u003e \u003cli\u003eBy Way of an Introduction\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eCivil Society Theory: The Tradition\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eThe Civil Sphere: The Blueprint\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eCriticisms, Questions, and Two Alternatives\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eThe Project: From Author to Network\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eCoda: Democracy’s Future and Civil Sphere Theory\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ol\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSubject Areas: Sociology \u0026amp; anthropology [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Sociology \u0026amp; anthropology\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Sociology%20\u0026amp;%20anthropology%20%5BJH%5D%22\"\u003eJH\u003c\/a\u003e]\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Polity","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52441814008088,"sku":"9781509560561","price":42.36,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/2037\/5320\/files\/9781509560561.jpg?v=1785026879","url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/the-civil-sphere-a-concise-introduction-hardback-9781509560561","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}