The appeals of citizenship : a performative approach to discourse, subjectivity, and gender -- "We are gaúchos, we are gaúchas" : incitements to gendered and regional subjectivity in the 2002 election campaigns -- Political time in Porto Alegre : electoral citizenship, experimental subjectivities, and gendered self-agency -- Participation speaks louder : ambiguity and contradiction in official representations of citizenship in the Porto Alegre participatory budget -- Cynical citizenship : gendered performance and parody in the Porto Alegre participatory budget -- Invitations to global citizenship, neoliberal critique, and a party : official discourses and local media coverage of the 2003 World Social Forum -- Participation from the periphery : Beira Rio community leaders' perceptions of the 2003 World Social Forum -- Another citizenship (theory) Is possible

Apathy and antipathy toward politics are epidemic. Citizen Democracy provides the antidote. In this revised and updated edition, Stephen E. Frantzich portrays citizens from every walk of life—rich and poor, old and young, black and white, male and female, left and right, famous and obscure—as they choose to become involved in politics at a level to which readers can relate. Some of the stories contain unexpected twists. Candy Lightner, the founder of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, now works as a liquor industry lobbyist and argues that MADD has gone too far. College freshman Gregory Watson reacted to receiving a OCO on a political science paper by quitting school and becoming the driving force behind passage of a constitutional amendment that had been the subject of his paper. Two young women independently wrote letters of application to the U.S. Naval Academy and in the process moved military education in the direction of gender neutrality. Citizen Democracy shows ordinary people engaged in extraordinary civic activity. Their causes run the gamut from civil rights to flag burning, from the Internet to the environment—but their common cause is the fact that they creatively entered the arena of national public policy making and made a difference.

Questions for Reading Groups

Soul of a Citizen awakens within us the desire and the ability to make our voices heard and our actions count. We can lead lives worthy of our convictions. A book of inspiration and integrity, Soul of a Citizen is an antidote to the twin scourges of modern life--powerlessness and cynicism. In his evocative style, Paul Loeb tells moving stories of ordinary Americans who have found unexpected fulfillment in social involvement. Through their example and Loeb's own wise and powerful lessons, we are compelled to move from passivity to participation. The reward of our action, we learn, is nothing less than a sense of connection and purpose not found in a purely personal life. Soul of a Citizen has become the handbook for budding social activists, veteran organizers, and anybody who wants to make a change—big or small—in the world around them. At this critical historical time , Paul Loeb's completely revised edition—and inspiring message—is more urgently important than ever.

Citizenship in a Republic is the title of a speech given by Theodore Roosevelt, former President of the United States, at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, on April 23, 1910. One notable passage from the speech is referred to as "The Man in the Arena": It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

Original publication and copyright date: 2010.

Jamieson and Cappella examine how the media cover political campaigns and significant legislation. They conclude that by focusing on the game rather than the substance the media are engendering cynicism amongst the general public.