The SQUEEZE: Even though everyday Americans appreciate open-ended political dialogue, they, in fact, work harder to appear to avoid politics altogether. Creating a culture of political avoidance reveals much about the production of apathy among everyday citizens. It is within this context that Nina Eliasoph conducts an interview-based study of political participation and civic culture, offering unique conclusions in Avoiding Politics: How Americans Produce Apathy in Everyday Life. Eliasoph’s portrait of American civic life reveals a culture of political avoidance, which hinders the process of challenging ideas about power and democracy. Eliasoph applies a qualitative methodology, charting the rise of apathy in American life in contrast to the fount of democracy.

Notable Endorsement: “‘Listening to the silence,' as Americans struggle to avoid civic engagement, Nina Eliasoph has discovered a terriby important truth: political apathy is not 'natural:' it has to be produced. By showing us how apathy is produced she suggests some ways [t]o produce its opposite. She also vividly introduces us to a side of American life about which most academics haven't a clue. This is a book of the first importance for anyone who cares about the future of American democracy”-- Robert Bellah, Professor of Sociology, Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley

Common Q’s Answered by this Book:

• What does political avoidance reveal about voter apathy?
• Why do many Americans desire to appear uninterested in politics?
• How does the creation of a culture of political avoidance contribute to the production of apathy?

About the Author: Nina Eliasoph is an associate professor of sociology at the University of California. Eliasoph’s research interests include ethnography, language and interaction, political theory, U.S. politics and political culture, and the non-profit sector. Eliasoph has taught sociology at the University of Wisconsin. Recent titles of Eliasoph’s work include: Grassroots Politics and Volunteers in Global Perspective, Making Volunteers: Civic Life after Welfare’s End (2011), and Ethnographies of Civil Society Around the World. Eliasoph completed a bachelor’s degree at Yale University and a doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley.

Book Vitals:

Publisher: Cambridge University Press (August 1998)