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Creating a democratic public : the struggle for urban participatory democracy during the progressive era

Author: Kevin Mattson
Publisher: University Park, Pa. : Pennsylvania State University Press, ©1998.
Edition/Format:   Book : EnglishView all editions and formats
Summary:
Mattson explores the work of early activists like Charles Zueblin, who tried to advance adult education at the University of Chicago, and Frederic Howe, whose People's Institute sparked the nationwide forum movement. He then turns to the social centers movement, which began in Rochester, New York, in 1907 with the opening of public schools to adults in the evening as centers for debate over current issues. Mattson  Read more...
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Additional Physical Format: Online version:
Mattson, Kevin, 1966-
Creating a democratic public.
University Park, Pa. : Pennsylvania State University Press, c1998
(OCoLC)605229034
Online version:
Mattson, Kevin, 1966-
Creating a democratic public.
University Park, Pa. : Pennsylvania State University Press, c1998
(OCoLC)631824673
Document Type: Book
All Authors / Contributors: Kevin Mattson
ISBN: 0271017228 9780271017228 0271017236 9780271017235
OCLC Number: 36159197
Description: [vii], 208 p. ; 24 cm.
Contents: Introduction: Creating a Democratic Public --
Searching for a Public --
From Beautifying Urban Space to Educating Citizens--The Work of Charles Zueblin --
From Tent Meetings to the Forum Movement --
Frederic Howe and the Democratic Public --
"Buttressing the Foundations of Democracy" --
The Social Centers Movement --
Envisioning Democracy --
Social Centers and Political Thought --
Thinking Democratically --
The Political Thought of Mary Parker Follett --
The Waning of the Democratic Public --
World War I, Social Centers, and America --
Conclusion: The Future of American Democracy.
Responsibility: Kevin Mattson.
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Abstract:

Mattson explores the work of early activists like Charles Zueblin, who tried to advance adult education at the University of Chicago, and Frederic Howe, whose People's Institute sparked the nationwide forum movement. He then turns to the social centers movement, which began in Rochester, New York, in 1907 with the opening of public schools to adults in the evening as centers for debate over current issues. Mattson tells how this simple program grew into a national phenomenon and cites its achievements and political ideals, and he analyzes the political thought of activists within the movement - notably Mary Parker Follett and Edward Ward - to show that these intellectuals had a profound understanding of what was needed to create vigorous democratic practices. Creating a Democratic Public challenges us to reconsider how we think about democracy by bringing us into critical dialogue with the past and exploring the work of yesterday's activists. Combining historical analysis, political theory, and social criticism, Mattson analyzes experiments in grassroots democracy from the Progressive Era and explores how we might foster more public involvement in political deliberation today.

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