Wow! eBook
Democracy in the Making: The Open Forum Lecture Movement
Author(s): Arthur S. Meyers (Author)
- Publisher: University Press of America (UK)
- Publication Date: 21 Nov. 2012
- Language: English
- Print length: 188 pages
- ISBN-10: 0761859268
- ISBN-13: 9780761859260
Book Description
This study recovers the movement and shows what can be applied to our time. George W. Coleman brought a deep commitment to free speech in developing the Forum and Mary Caroline Crawford was essential in implementing it.
Understanding this initiative broadens our awareness of personal and community courage and democratic planning. We can regain this informed, reflective, respectful approach, and achieve an America “to be”—a democracy in the making.
Editorial Reviews
Review
…A valuable resource…useful not only because it revives this history but also because it illustrates how the past can help to inform the present. The National Issues Forums are certainly a close descendant of this important movement.
…Meyers does more than simply reintroduce an important piece of our civic past; he also presents us with a model for rejuvenating contemporary public life.
I recommend this book highly for students of adult education and for public officials and civic leaders who want a model of public discourse for civil conversation in a time of polarization.
Meyers’ original and exciting investigation [and] deft, nuanced analysis….thoroughly explores the movement’s strengths and weaknesses, providing insights that will be valuable to historians–and to all who seek to develop inclusive solutions to social problems.
This vivid new window brings forward Mary Caroline Crawford, a woman who shaped progressive public discourse.
