Once we bowled in leagues, usually after work -- but no longer. This seemingly small phenomenon symbolizes a significant social change that Robert Putnam has identified in this brilliant volume, "Bowling Alone, " which "The Economist" hailed as "a prodigious achievement."
Drawing on vast new data that reveal Americans' changing behavior, Putnam shows how we have become increasingly disconnected from one another and how social structures -- whether they be PTA, church, or political parties -- have disintegrated. Until the publication of this groundbreaking work, no one had so deftly diagnosed the harm that these broken bonds have wreaked on our physical and civic health, nor had anyone exalted their fundamental power in creating a society that is happy, healthy, and safe.
Like defining works from the past, such as "The Lonely Crowd" and "The Affluent Society, " and like the works of C. Wright Mills and Betty Friedan, Putnam's "Bowling Alone" has identified a central crisis at the heart of our society and suggests what we can do.
I haven't finished the book yet but it talks a lot about the breakdown in social connection in American community life which is a sign of their increasingly advanced, fast-paced society.
IanL
Brisbane Australia
100.0
Julia Keller Chicago Tribune A learned and clearly focused snapshot of a crucial moment in American history. Alan Ehrenhalt The Wall Street Journal A powerful argument...presented in a lucid and readable way. Wendy Rahn The Washington Post This is a very important book; it's the de Tocqueville of our generation. And you don't often hear an academic like me say those sorts of things. Richard Flacks Los Angeles Times Putnam styles himself as a kind of sociological detective....The reader experiences the suspense that can happen in both detective fiction and science. Alan Ryan The New York Review of Books Rich, dense, thoughtful, fascinating...packed with provocative information about the social and political habits of twentieth-century Americans.
| Introduction | |
| Thinking about Social Change in America | |
| Trends in Civic Engagement and Social Capital | |
| Political Participation | |
| Civic Participation | |
| Religious Participation | |
| Connections in the Workplace | |
| Informal Social Connections | |
| Altruism, Volunteering, and Philanthropy | |
| Reciprocity, Honesty, and Trust | |
| Against the Tide? Small Groups, Social Movements, and the Net | |
| Why? | |
| Introduction | |
| Pressures of Time and Money | |
| Mobility and Sprawl | |
| Technology and Mass Media | |
| From Generation to Generation | |
| What Killed Civic Engagement? Summing Up | |
| So What? (with the assistance of Kristin A. Goss) | |
| Introduction | |
| Education and Children's Welfare | |
| Safe and Productive Neighborhoods | |
| Economic Prosperity | |
| Health and Happiness | |
| Democracy | |
| The Dark Side of Social Capital | |
| What is to be Done? | |
| Lessons of History: The Gilded Age and the Progressive Era | |
| Toward an Agenda for Social Capitalists | |
| Measuring Social Change | |
| Sources for Figures and Tables | |
| The Rise and Fall of Civic and Professional Associations | |
| Notes | |
| The Story Behind this Book | |
| Index | |
| Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved. |
ISBN: 9780743203043
ISBN-10: 0743203046
Audience:
General
Format:
Paperback
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 544
Published: 7th August 2001
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
Country of Publication: GB
Dimensions (cm): 23.6 x 15.6
x 3.18
Weight (kg): 0.51
Edition Number: 2
Edition Type: New edition
