Civility Unbound: Contesting a Democratic Value

An urgent interrogation of an eroding norm

Amidst unprecedented turmoil in American Democracy—as norms of conduct in our institutions erode and polarizing, combative behavior is increasingly rewarded—an acclaimed group of thought leaders, policymakers, artists, activists, and scholars interrogate a cornerstone of American politics and society: civility.

In Civility Unbound, these luminaries examine civility and address the question of whether being “civil” is a fundamental good. Tackling the ...