Civility is the society-level sensibility while civilities are local expressions

Evidence

It may be useful here to distinguish between civility as such and civilities. Civility is the overarching sensibility of the prevailing social order, its modes of perception and deception, interaction and representation. It is what gives the society its “personality,” its “character,” even its “color.” Civilities are the particular expressions of social interaction affirmed as socially appealing, as valorized, which include forms of objection and social movements of resistance to civility. In this, the distinction is not unlike the Aristotelian one between virtue and the (particular) virtues socialized. — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race, 233

Categorization

• DEFINE: Establishes a precise civility/civilities distinction mapped onto Aristotle’s virtue/virtues split.
• XREF: connects to: Everyday convivial civility can both preserve difference and transform identities. — Farhan Samanani, Conviviality and its others: for a…, 43; A society’s civility has a racial and perceptual character distinct from its specific civilities. — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race: Reflections on…, 233