This scholarly collection of 22 essays focuses on the origin, prerequisites, and challenges of citizenship in the US. Though many are political theorists, the range of authors in this collection is quite broad. They do not all agree in terms of definitions, applications, and/or prescriptions, and the book does not attempt to bring about consensus—other than asserting the importance of citizenship in a democratic republic…. [T]he book has many “Aha” moments in which the authors provide new insights, applications, and/or data. In many cases, contemporary situations and applications flesh out theoretical premises. By and large, the essays, which emanated from a conference, are stand-alone contributions that could serve as the basis for academic analysis and discussion. Recommended. Graduate students, faculty, and researchers.

Choice Reviews

The decline of citizenship and civic leadership is often lamented but rarely seriously addressed. This book takes on this crucial matter with the seriousness and analytic incisiveness it deserves. The list of authors includes many of the best writers who think about citizenship and leadership.

Marc Landy, Boston College

What is a citizen? In this bountiful gathering of essays, Aristotle’s question is answered, analyzed, and made timely. Readers can expect a variety of outlook, erudition, and topic, with inspiration from the ancients and application to us uncertain moderns. Here is philosophy not self-absorbed but in its most generous aspect.

Harvey C. Mansfield, Harvard University

Citizenship and Civic Leadership in America is a much-needed book for our politically polarized age. What we discover is that for democracy to work, it cannot rely upon the political class alone. All citizens must engage in the robust conversation about what constitutes citizenship, who belongs to it, and what does it mean. This book introduces the reader to do this.

VoegelinView