{"id":538,"date":"2024-06-21T16:20:20","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T16:20:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/?post_type=furman-update&#038;p=538"},"modified":"2024-10-17T14:52:55","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T14:52:55","slug":"civic-associations-in-america","status":"publish","type":"furman-update","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/lectures\/civic-associations-in-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Lecture Summary: Civic Associations in America, January 24-25, 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h5><\/h5>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: left\"><em>\u201cAmericans of all ages, all stations of life, and all types of disposition are forever forming associations&#8221;<\/em><em>\u00a0(Democracy in America).<\/em><\/h5>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: left\"><\/h5>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: left\">PART 1 &#8211; JANUARY 24, 2024 &#8211; 6:30-8:30PM &#8211; Watkins Room, Trone Student Center<\/h5>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: left\">PART 2 &#8211; JANUARY 25, 2024 &#8211; 5:00-6:30PM &#8211; Watkins Room, Trone Student Center<\/h5>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Scholars-in-Residence:<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Robert Putnam (Harvard)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-667 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2023\/11\/2.23.15Putnam009R-1024x683-1-e1707167870392.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"270\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2023\/11\/2.23.15Putnam009R-1024x683-1-e1707167870392.jpg 482w, https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2023\/11\/2.23.15Putnam009R-1024x683-1-e1707167870392-475x512.jpg 475w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 250px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 250\/270;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Robert D. Putnam is the Malkin Research Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University, having retired from active teaching in May 2018. Raised in a small town in Ohio, he earned his BA from Swarthmore College and his MA and PhD from Yale. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the British Academy, and past president of the American Political Science Association. In 2006 Putnam received the Skytte Prize, the world\u2019s highest accolade for a political scientist; in 2013 President Barack Obama awarded him the National Humanities Medal, the nation\u2019s highest honor for contributions to the humanities, for &#8220;deepening our understanding of community in America&#8221;; and in 2018 the International Political Science Association awarded him the Karl Deutsch Award for cross-disciplinary research. He has received sixteen honorary degrees from eight countries, including in 2018, the University of Oxford. His most recent book is a study of broad 20th century American economic, social, political, and cultural trends, entitled <em>The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again<\/em>. He is also author or coauthor of such bestselling books as <em>Bowling Alone<\/em>; <em>American Grace<\/em>; and <em>Our Kids<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Sarah Gustafson (Catholic University)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-669 aligncenter lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2023\/11\/sarah-gustafson.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2023\/11\/sarah-gustafson.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/67\/2023\/11\/sarah-gustafson-150x150.jpg 150w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 250px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 250\/250;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Sarah Gustafson holds a PhD in Political Science (Political Theory) from the Department of Government at Harvard University. She also holds an MA in the History of Political Thought\/Intellectual History from UCL and Queen Mary University of London. Her interests focus on Alexis de Tocqueville and nineteenth century political thought. She has broader interests however, in Ancient and Medieval Political Philosophy, contemporary and normative political theory, virtue ethics, Catholic Social and Political Thought, and Ethics and Business. Her dissertation focuses on the concept of charity in Tocqueville&#8217;s political thought, especially its relationship to his accounts of self-interest rightly understood, associations, and welfare.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Civic Associations Event Features Robert Putnam Lecture on Tocqueville and Darwin, and Putnam Biopic <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Live or Die<\/span><\/i><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Tocqueville Center for the Study of Democracy and Society hosted renowned scholar Robert Putnam for a two-day event at Furman University on the topic of civic associations in America on January 23-24. Putnam is the Malkin Research Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University, Emeritus, who has received top awards for his work in political science, including the world\u2019s highest accolade for a political scientist, the Skytte Prize, and the National Humanities Medal, awarded by President Barack Obama for &#8220;deepening our understanding of community in America.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Putnam\u2019s research on social capital, made famous by the publication of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bowling Alone<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (2000), was the focus of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Join or Die,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> which was exclusively screened for event attendees. The film explores how declining social connections in recent decades, as compared to the 1950s and 60s, is evidenced by a decline in group memberships and has grave implications for American democracy. Through interviews with Putnam and many who know Putnam and his work, such as Hilary Clinton and Pete Buttigieg, bright animations, historical footage, and following contemporary efforts around the country to form communities, the film shows that the future of democracy in America depends on whether its citizens can renew their social networks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The value of these social networks comes from the creation of a norm of generalized reciprocity, which can be summarized by the sentiment, \u201cI\u2019ll be nice to you, and you or someone else will be nice to me.\u201d This trust, called \u201csocial capital,\u201d makes democracy work, and the evidence of its decline in the film\u2019s summary of Putnam\u2019s research is overwhelming. Despite describing in great detail many of democracy\u2019s ills, the film\u2019s tone reflects Putnam himself \u2014 relentlessly, inescapably realistic while simultaneously exuding an infectious hopefulness about democracy\u2019s future.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But how do we go about forming groups? Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering, has studied gatherings and describes what makes them successful. First, she emphasizes that a gathering should begin with doing what you love, together. This shared passion should then be connected to a purpose or need, followed by a plan for how people are going to connect. Finally, Parker recommends \u201cwriting new scripts for old norms.\u201d As an example, the film follows a successful attempt to repurpose an old bowling alley in Portland, OR, as a place for social gathering. One of its members claims that she joined the club because\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cit\u2019s good to have friends who are totally different from you\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">and she wasn\u2019t sure how else she could find them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A discussion led by a panel of Furman faculty followed the screening. Political scientist Dr. Liz Smith, who has studied the growing gap between participation in youth extra-curricular activities and income, distinguished \u201cbinding\u201d (trust within groups) versus \u201cbridging\u201d (trust between groups) social capital, which helps explain how increasing socioeconomic diversity in society may contribute to a loss of bridging social capital through \u201cturtling.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dr. Ken Kobb, Professor and Chair of Sociology, described how his research on food scarcity in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods has been influenced by Putnam\u2019s concept of social capital. For example, access to food by getting rides to the grocery store becomes more costly the less people can rely on social capital, resulting in nutritional deficiencies and changes in tastes that favor cheaper, more processed foods.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dr. Jim Guth (Politics &amp; International Affairs) emphasized how important the concept of bridging social capital is, but expressed greater reservations about the possibility of recreating social capital. In the 19th century, for example, organizations crossed economic classes. Today, we segregate ourselves by economic class. Moreover, social trust declines the more diverse societies become, which Dr. Guth sees as one of the main challenges facing democracy today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">An audience member described growing up in a self-segregated Latino community in America, and asked how anyone can bridge fear of the other and build social capital. Dr. Guth pointed out that these processes happen over generations, and Dr. Brent Nelsen (Politics &amp; International Affairs), who is the interim director of the Tocqueville Center, concluded the discussion with a mention of the film <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A Man Called Otto<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and the observation that what building social capital really comes down to is being that one person who\u2019s willing to bang on people\u2019s doors.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The following day, Putnam and one of his co-authors, Sarah Gustafson (Catholic University), shifted from social capital to the question of how we understand ourselves and the world around us with their lecture, &#8220;Two Voyages of Discovery: How the 1831 Journeys of Darwin and Tocqueville Changed our Understanding of the World.&#8221; Dr. Wade Worthen (Biology), who provided commentary on the influence of Darwin, contextualized Darwin by describing his own work on the evolution of dragonflies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dr. Rob L\u2019Arrivee (Politics &amp; International Affairs), summarized the talk in his comments on the panel as follows:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Professors Putnam, Gustafson, and Anderson lead us on an adventure alongside Charles Darwin and Alexis de Tocqueville, exploring new frontiers where these two great minds uncover profound insights into politics, society, and nature. Rather than solely focusing on the results of their voyages, our authors emphasize how they went about thinking, stating that Tocqueville and Darwin \u201cenlighten us about the fundamental nature of discovery.\u201d It is this nature of discovery that imparts to us valuable lessons for American citizens, academics, and students for approaching knowledge about our most pressing matters.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Specifically, Putnam and Gustafson described how Tocqueville and Darwin, without having knowledge of each other, pursued parallel paths in their 1831 journeys that have had, and can continue to have, profound implications for us today. Both read widely in their fields to prepare their minds beforehand. Both were voracious observers, recorders, collectors, and note-takers of the empirical world. Both came up with theories as a result of their observations, and published well-written, wildly popular books that influenced generations that followed. And both avoided cherry-picking data to confirm their assumptions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What does this mean for us today? L\u2019Arrivee connected the lecture to one of Tocqueville\u2019s key observations about citizens of democracies. In <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Democracy in America<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Tocqueville observes that \u201cthere are no beings exactly the same in nature, no identical facts, no rules applicable indiscriminately\u201d (DA II.1.3). Unfortunately, democratic citizens have a tendency to lose sight of nature and all its diversity by becoming too abstract in their thinking. Moreover, since democratic citizens believe everyone is equal, they tend to assume what is true for oneself is true for everyone. The result? An inability to understand reality and increasing conformity to the norms of an impersonal mob.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How can Tocqueville and Darwin\u2019s journeys help democratic citizens to avoid overly general and abstract thinking? Putnam and Gustafson show, according to L\u2019Arrivee,<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">what it\u2019s like to really think, bridging the gap between attention to detail and the luminosity of theory. We can begin to bridge this gap by asking simple questions inspired by the voyages: Are we looking at the details? What kinds of details in life are we passionate about? What deeper truths are hidden behind the wonderful diversity of things? How can different academic disciplines cooperate? Who will be our friends on this journey?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This reference to Tocqueville\u2019s friendship with Gustave de Beaumont and Darwin\u2019s friendship with Captain Robert FitzRoy brings us back to the question of social capital, which could perhaps be rephrased in this instance as: who will be our friends as we strive to better understand the fabric of democracy, the democratic soul, and civilization?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The discussion concluded with Gustafson\u2019s suggestion that perhaps the best way to ensure our theories accurately reflect empirical data from the real world is by traveling to a place and getting to know it extremely well. For example, if students study abroad, rather than leaving on the weekends to travel elsewhere, they should stay put and get to know everything they can about that locale. This approach might initially appear to be limiting, but in Gustafson\u2019s view it can serve as a starting point for learning about the broader and universal significance of the details \u2014 while maintaining a firm footing in the real world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/lectures\/an-interview-with-robert-putnam-on-the-big-questions-of-political-science-and-method\/\">Read an Interview with Robert Putnam Here<\/a><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":678,"template":"","update-categories":[10],"class_list":["post-538","furman-update","type-furman-update","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","furman-update-category-past-lectures"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lectures\/538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lectures"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/furman-update"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lectures\/538\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":986,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lectures\/538\/revisions\/986"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"furman-update-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/academics\/tocqueville-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/update-categories?post=538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}