{"product_id":"the-idea-of-fraternity-in-america-9780268205331","title":"The Idea of Fraternity in America","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“A complex, intellectually jarring, and valuable book, one which reveals how early America became her true self as we now know her.” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe United States is currently experiencing a crisis of citizenship and democracy. For many of us, there is a sense of forlornness caused by losing sight of human connectedness and the bonds of community. Originally published in 1973, and long out of print, \u003ci\u003eThe Idea of Fraternity in America\u003c\/i\u003e is a resonant call to reclaim and restore the communal bonds of democracy by one of the most important political theorists of the twentieth century, Wilson Carey McWilliams.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis sprawling and majestic book offers a comprehensive and original interpretation of the whole range of American historical and political thought, from seventeenth-century White Puritanism to twentieth-century Black American political thought. In one sense, it is a long and sustained reflection on the American political tradition, with side glances at other cultures and other traditions; in another sense, it is an impressive beginning to an original and comprehensive theory of politics, rooted in a new reading of a vast array of relevant sources. Speaking with a prescience unmatched by his contemporaries, McWilliams argues that in order to address the malaise of our modern democracy we must return to an ideal of our past: fraternity, a relation of affection founded on shared values and goals. This 50th anniversary edition, which offers a critique of the liberal tradition and a new social philosophy for the future, contains a new introduction from McWilliams’s daughter, Susan McWilliams Barndt. She writes, “At a time when many Americans are wondering how we got to where we are today . . . this book demonstrates that there is in fact a lot of precedent for what feels so unprecedented in contemporary American politics.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wilson Carey McWilliams","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49013004566779,"sku":"9780268205331","price":39.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/3917\/9771\/files\/CoreSourceHub_1f1cb722-cc99-42b2-b079-f9fa7dfd9274.jpg?v=1782572594","url":"https:\/\/indiepubs.com\/products\/the-idea-of-fraternity-in-america-9780268205331","provider":"IndiePubs","version":"1.0","type":"link"}