Habits of the Heart, With a New Preface: Individualism and Commitment in American Life

Robert N. Bellah · Richard Madsen · William M. Sullivan · Ann Swidler · Steven M. Tipton

Sep 2007 · Univ of California Press

About this ebook

First published in 1985, Habits of the Heart continues to be one of the most discussed interpretations of modern American society, a quest for a democratic community that draws on our diverse civic and religious traditions. In a new preface the authors relate the arguments of the book both to the current realities of American society and to the growing debate about the country's future. With this new edition one of the most influential books of recent times takes on a new immediacy.

Ratings and reviews

solid quote from it, amazing book: “Tocqueville saw a variety of unique features in American democracy, especially what he called equality of condition and, famously, individualism…he worried about the consequences of the tendency toward individualism…individualism that Tocqueville warned is the Achilles heel of the American experiment. As he described it, ‘Each one of them [the citizens], withdrawn into himself, is almost unaware of the fate of the rest. Mankind, for him, consists in his children and his personal friends. As for the rest of his fellow citizens, they are nothing.’ ” (page ix)

About the author

Recipient of the National Humanities Medal, Robert N. Bellah is Elliott Professor of Sociology Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley. Richard Madsen is Professor of Sociology, University of California, San Diego. William M. Sullivan is Senior Scholar at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Ann Swidler is Professor of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley. Steven M. Tipton is Professor of Sociology and Religion at Emory University and the Candler School of Theology.