Andrew J. Perrin is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

''Written with uncommon imagination, this beautifully-realized book challenges too narrow a focus on formal institutions and the electoral process. Written in the spirit of Tocqueville as a sociology of democracy and of Habermas as a probe of the public realm, it deepens our understanding of the foundations of democratic culture, including civic values and the patterns of communication, association, and action that give shape and meaning to democratic citizenship.''Ira Katznelson, Columbia University''In this bold reconceptualization of American democracy, Andrew Perrin introduces what he correctly calls a new sociology of publics. Perrin draws our attention to the dynamism inherent in American democracy by showing how democracy is learned and practiced as citizens interact with institutions. An important contribution that will inspire fresh thinking about what sustains democratic practice in the United States and how it might be re-energized.''Margaret Weir, University of California Berkeley

• Acknowledgments viiiIntroduction 11 History and Theory of Democracy 122 Voting, Civil Society, and Citizenship 483 Deliberation, Representation, and Legislation 814 Public Opinion, Policy Responsiveness, and Feedback 1145 Media, Communications, and Political Knowledge 1406 Democratic Culture and Practice in PostmodernAmerica 163Notes 188References 191Index 219

Andrew J. Perrin is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

''Written with uncommon imagination, this beautifully-realized book challenges too narrow a focus on formal institutions and the electoral process. Written in the spirit of Tocqueville as a sociology of democracy and of Habermas as a probe of the public realm, it deepens our understanding of the foundations of democratic culture, including civic values and the patterns of communication, association, and action that give shape and meaning to democratic citizenship.''Ira Katznelson, Columbia University''In this bold reconceptualization of American democracy, Andrew Perrin introduces what he correctly calls a new sociology of publics. Perrin draws our attention to the dynamism inherent in American democracy by showing how democracy is learned and practiced as citizens interact with institutions. An important contribution that will inspire fresh thinking about what sustains democratic practice in the United States and how it might be re-energized.''Margaret Weir, University of California Berkeley

• Acknowledgments viiiIntroduction 11 History and Theory of Democracy 122 Voting, Civil Society, and Citizenship 483 Deliberation, Representation, and Legislation 814 Public Opinion, Policy Responsiveness, and Feedback 1145 Media, Communications, and Political Knowledge 1406 Democratic Culture and Practice in PostmodernAmerica 163Notes 188References 191Index 219

Andrew J. Perrin is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

''Written with uncommon imagination, this beautifully-realized book challenges too narrow a focus on formal institutions and the electoral process. Written in the spirit of Tocqueville as a sociology of democracy and of Habermas as a probe of the public realm, it deepens our understanding of the foundations of democratic culture, including civic values and the patterns of communication, association, and action that give shape and meaning to democratic citizenship.''Ira Katznelson, Columbia University''In this bold reconceptualization of American democracy, Andrew Perrin introduces what he correctly calls a new sociology of publics. Perrin draws our attention to the dynamism inherent in American democracy by showing how democracy is learned and practiced as citizens interact with institutions. An important contribution that will inspire fresh thinking about what sustains democratic practice in the United States and how it might be re-energized.''Margaret Weir, University of California Berkeley

• Acknowledgments viiiIntroduction 11 History and Theory of Democracy 122 Voting, Civil Society, and Citizenship 483 Deliberation, Representation, and Legislation 814 Public Opinion, Policy Responsiveness, and Feedback 1145 Media, Communications, and Political Knowledge 1406 Democratic Culture and Practice in PostmodernAmerica 163Notes 188References 191Index 219