Civic group participation can expand or shrink horizons, often simultaneously

Evidence

If we recognize that producing apathy takes a great deal of work, then we may ¢nd an unnoticed reserve of hope; we may begin to draw out the contradictory, tangled, democratic impetus embedded in citizens’ everyday interactions ^ and also the impetus toward self-enclosed, narrowness embedded in these same interactions. In other words, by paying attention to the ways people actually talk in these groups, we can begin to understand the politics of civil society ^ sometimes participating in civic groups expands citizens’ horizons, sometimes it shrinks them, sometimes it does both at once. — Nina Eliasoph, “Close to home”, 7

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: The either-or frame (participation builds or withers democracy) collapses into both-at-once, a genuinely paradigm-shifting wedge for solidarity research.
• XREF: connects to: Group memberships satisfy conflicting needs for inclusion and distinctiveness — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 830; American civic engagement spans widely varied forms and scales simultaneously. — Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival…, 66

Related

• American civic engagement spans widely varied forms and scales simultaneously. (similarity 0.87)
• Political expression is switched on and off by group context rather than individual belief (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Group memberships satisfy conflicting needs for inclusion and distinctiveness #expands (0.85) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 830