Civic beliefs are equivocal cultural productions, not fixed inner states

Evidence

Understanding the tortured, twisted use of close to home'' helps show how these explanations are connected; the interconnections could help us interpret other public languages, as well. What if the things we call beliefs” are always so equivocal? Then hope and hopelessness, apathy and engagement would not seem so far apart; they would always be intertwined, actively making sense of a world that doesn’t. — Nina Eliasoph, “Close to home”, 170

Categorization

• DEFINE: Positions beliefs as equivocal and situationally produced rather than stable, which redefines how to measure political attitudes.
• QUESTION: If beliefs are inherently equivocal cultural productions, what methodological consequences follow for the reader’s own study of solidarity formation through shared projects?
• XREF: connects to: Apparent civic apathy is effortful cultural labor, not genuine indifference — Nina Eliasoph, “Close to home”: The work of avoiding…, 169; The supposedly culture-free civic state is deeply embedded in cultural meanings — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2: Identity…, 359; Culture operates as signifying practice rather than a fixed way of life — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2: Identity…, 399 (+2 more)

Related

• Apparent civic apathy is effortful cultural labor, not genuine indifference (similarity 0.83)
• Civic understanding grows in face-to-face talk rather than inside individuals. (similarity 0.82)
• Structural psychological and cultural explanations of belief are mutually implicated and inseparable (similarity 0.79)
• The same expressed belief carries different meanings in different groups and moments. (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• The supposedly culture-free civic state is deeply embedded in cultural meanings #corroborates (0.88) — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2, 359
• Culture is a process of creating and transforming reality, not an environment. #corroborates (0.78) — James W. Carey, Communication as Culture- Essays on…, 323
• Culture operates as signifying practice rather than a fixed way of life #corroborates (0.75) — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2, 399