Inventing the Ties That Bind

Imagined Relationships in Moral and Political Life

Inventing the Ties That Bind
Francesca Polletta
RRP:
NZ$ 73.00
Our Price:
NZ$ 58.40
Paperback
Not defined - 272pg
6 Nov 2020 US
International import eta 10-30 days
9780226734200
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
From deciding to hold the door for the person behind you, to resolving for whom you will cast your vote, every day we find ourselves charged with making moral decisions. What steers our choices? And how do we weigh competing priorities and moral convictions? In Inventing the Ties That Bind, Francesca Polletta shows that we do not solve these dilemmas, whether personal or political, based on self-interest alone. Instead, relationships serve as a kind of moral compass. People consider the nature of their ties to one another to know what their obligations are, and in situations that are unfamiliar, they sometimes figure out the right thing to do by imagining themselves in relationships they do not actually have. Polletta takes up a wide range of cases, from debt settlement agencies to the southern civil rights movement, revealing that our relationships and how we imagine them are at the heart of our moral lives-guiding us as we choose whom to help and how we define what it means to treat someone as our equal. In a time of growing polarization, understanding how we make sense of our ties to one another is more urgent than ever.
"How can strangers be turned into people we feel solidarity with? This is the burning question that distinguished expert of social movements and deliberation Polletta takes on in her remarkable book. She examines evidence from across the social sciences about the relative value of various paths of action, which may include moral norms, self-interest, civility, emotions, rituals, advocacy, self-disclosure, and feel-good exercise. Through rich case studies, she argues against encouraging a culture of superficial intimacy. Instead, the secret sauce for ' solidarity across differences' is building imagined relationships over time through practice and ' relationship schemas. ' As a wide-ranging contribution of stunning originality, Inventing the Ties that Bind deserves to have a broad readership from sociology, political science, and beyond. " --Michele Lamont, Harvard University "Reading through Inventing the Ties That Bind is like a jaunt through what you thought was a familiar public park or streetscape only to be jolted, over and over again, with a novel, provocative, or hard-hitting insight that makes the contours of the familiar leap into shimmering, breathtaking focus. The book is exciting, timely, ambitious, beautifully written, and is sure to have a broad audience. "--Ann Mische, Notre Dame University "Seeking to transcend today' s constricted politics, Inventing the Ties that Bind probes the fundamental nature of identity and solidarity. With original research on cases from early Civil Rights organizing to professionally-curated civic dialogues, Polletta explores how people imagine-and reimagine-their relationships with others different from themselves. Polletta shows how, as social and moral beings, we can draw from existing relationship schemas-as family members, citizens, and friends-to imagine, and enact, more inclusive, just, and equal forms of cooperation and of struggle. " --Ann Swidler, University of California, Berkeley "With whom do we bond? Social science tells us it is with friends of friends, popular people, and those with whom we share social and organizational affiliations. Fair enough, but there are many exceptions--and when it comes to establishing empathy and social solidarity in complex societies, these exceptions may be more important than the rule. This book is about the exceptions, the ways in which people use analogy to construct relationships across social boundaries, and about why strategic recipes for producing such relationships usually fail to do so. In this subtle and insight ful study, Polletta delineates the intimate links between sit uation, imagination, interaction, and identity, providing signposts for reconstructing community in the face of anomie and polarization. " --Paul DiMaggio, New York University
Francesca Polletta is professor of sociology at the University of California, Irvine. She is the author It Was Like a Fever: Storytelling and Protest Politics and Freedom Is an Endless Meeting: Democracy in American Social Movements, and coeditor of Passionate Politics: Emotions in Social Movements, all published by the University of Chicago Press.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9780226734200
Published: 6 Nov 2020
Published In: United States
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Format: Paperback
Pages: 272

In stock - for items in stock we aim to dispatch the next business day. For delivery in NZ allow 2-5 business days, with rural taking a wee bit longer.

Locally sourced in NZ - stock comes from a NZ supplier with an approximate delivery of 7-15 business days.

International Imports - stock is imported into NZ, depending on air or sea shipping option from the international supplier stock can take 10-30 working days to arrive into NZ. 

Pre-order Titles - delivery will vary depending on where the title is published, if local stock is available in NZ then 5-7 business days, for international imports it can be 10-30 business days. In all cases we will access the quickest supply option.

Delivery Packaging - we ship all items in cardboard sleeves or by box with either packing paper or corn starch chips. (We avoid using plastics bubble bags)

Tracking - Orders are delivered by track and trace courier and are fully insured, tracking information will be sent by email once dispatched.

View our full Order & Delivery information