In his book on the civil sphere, the sociologist Jeffery Alexander makes a distinction between State and Civil power. Many of us are rightfully worried that Trump has taken State power as his own, but he has not, and probably cannot, usurp our democratic civil power. At least that has not happened yet, which is the basis of my hope.
So how does Alexander understand civil power? The power resides in civil institutions, which represent the values and activities of what he calls the civil sphere. So, let’s start by describing the civil sphere, then its institutions, and finally its power. Behind all of this, as you might expect, is a concept of justice. In the opening pages of The Civil Sphere. Alexander writes:
This book is about justice and about the democratic institutions and beliefs that can maintain justice in our massively complex and highly stratified society. Justice depends on the feeling of being connected to others, of being part of something larger than ourselves, a whole that imposes obligations and allows us to share convictions, feelings, and cognitions, and gives us a chance for meaningful participation, and respects our individual personalities even while giving us the feeling that we are all in the same boat. (p.13)
If this sounds something like a “climate of justice,” you would not be wrong. Alexander uses the language of civil society instead, as a sphere of solidarity.
I would like to suggest that civil society should be conceived as the solidarity sphere, in which a certain kind of universalizing community comes to be culturally defined and to some degree institutionally enforced. To the degree that the solidarity community exists it is exhibited and sustained by public opinion, deep cultural codes, distinctive organizations--legal, journalistic, and associational--and such historically specific interactional practices as civility, criticism, and mutual respect. (31)
Civil power in other words, is grounded in human solidarity, and is institutionalized in various public and cultural practices, which Alexander calls communicative Institutions, such as public opinion, mass media, polls, and associations, as well as regulative institutions, such as voting, political parties, and office.
Of these three, voting in the 2026 mid-terms appears to have the greatest power to preserve our democracy. It’s true that office holders have official obligations, but they seldom withstand State power, and the Republican political party has become a vassal to Trump, but that may change as the mid-term election approaches.
None of these civil institutions are perfect, of course, and none are immune from destruction. Some are better than they were before, and some have been severely compromised by State power, such as the practice of gerrymandering or voter oppression.
Still, the recognition of civil power in civil institutions--the power of justice--reminds us that our future does not only depend on those who run our country, it also depends on our community of citizens.
Commentaires