Making moral citizens
On Himmelfarb's de-moralization thesis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4525331 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Keith Tester (0000-0002-9906-4770, University of Portsmouth, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1997 |
| Volume | 1 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 57-71 |
| Publication date | 1997-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Citizenship Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1362-1025 • E-ISSN: 1469-3593 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13621029708420647 |
| OpenAlex | W1977604578 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 8 |
One of the most popular and pressing problems in the attempts of contemporary Western social and cultural commentators to understand these times is the question of whether it is possible to identify a worrisome and unstoppable process of de‐moralization. This process is frequently taken to involve the cutting of the ties and identities of citizenship so that individuals are left to wallow in swamps of anomie and disrepute; swamps in which the supposed achievements of civilization are undermined by the reappearance of activities which are taken to be more reminiscent of the mythical state of nature. In this article I will examine one of the most well‐developed and intellectually plausible versions of this de‐moralization thesis. I will outline and attempt to contextualize arguments rehearsed by Gertrude Himmelfarb in her book The Demoralization of Society (Himmelfarb, 1995). I hope to show that the de‐moralization thesis is based upon a specific articulation of citizenship to civilization. I will then offer aspects of a sociological critique of Himmelfarb and, implicitly therefore, of the connection of citizenship to civilizaton. I will develop this possible critique through an account of some themes contained in the work of Zygmunt Bauman
Citizenship · Epistemology · Law and economics · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Critical Theory and Philosophy · Law · Philosophy
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |