{"podcast":{"title":"New Books in Critical Theory","slug":"new-books-in-critical-theory-962622","podcast_index_feed_id":962622,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/LIT8251633117","website_url":"https://newbooksnetwork.com/category/politics-society/critical-theory/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/2bb9f934-ef86-11e8-8d0f-63a25e571335/image/abfb67777e548da6b9f81c74ecfb67a9.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"New Books Network","episode_count":2340,"summary":"This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: ⁠https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/⁠ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetwork Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory","last_synced_at":"2026-09-15T16:20:49.073825+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-critical-theory-962622"},"episode":{"title":"Michael Diniscia and Ellyn M Toscano eds. \"Civility Unbound: Contesting a Democratic Value\" (NYU Press, 2026)","slug":"michael-diniscia-and-ellyn-m-toscano-eds-civility-unbound-contesting-a-democratic-value-nyu-press-2026","published_at":"2026-09-03T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-critical-theory-962622/michael-diniscia-and-ellyn-m-toscano-eds-civility-unbound-contesting-a-democratic-value-nyu-press-2026","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-critical-theory-962622","url":"https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK9759936188.mp3","audio_url":"https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK9759936188.mp3","summary":"The idea of civility goes back to classical Rome and the ways in which citizens engaged one another within the republic. The term itself is often used in a number of different ways, reflecting expected behavior, particularly in public spaces, and as a mechanism to manage human interaction. But civility and the use of this idea often shape hierarchical relationships within society and within politics and may define who is to be included within the polis and who may be excluded. Thus, the conversations that led to the new book, Civility Unbound: Contesting a Democratic Value, interrogated the idea of civility in many of its facets and did not necessarily settle on a simple definition or means of implementing civility within contemporary society. Michael DiNiscia, Director of Research and Strategic Initiatives at New York University’s Brademas Center, and Ellyn Toscano, Director of the Hawthorndon Foundation, edited this valuable exploration of the idea of civility within democracy. In so doing, they brought together academics, politicians and former politicians, activists, artists, and individuals from the foundation world to discuss this controversial idea of civility, unpacking the term, the way it is used, and how society may consider civility within the realm of politics and public life. I had the pleasure of discussing Civility Unbound with Michael DiNiscia and Hussein Rashid, one of the contributing authors. Our conversation covered the content of the book, tracing the sections that include philosophy and political theory, democratic institutions and politics, social justice and protest, media engagement, and lessons from arts and culture. The chapters are fascinating and accessible. As a reader, you feel as though you are part of the ongoing conversation with the…","meta_description":"The idea of civility goes back to classical Rome and the ways in which citizens engaged one another within the republic. The term itself is often used in…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3744,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-critical-theory-962622/episodes/michael-diniscia-and-ellyn-m-toscano-eds-civility-unbound-contesting-a-democratic-value-nyu-press-2026/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-critical-theory-962622/michael-diniscia-and-ellyn-m-toscano-eds-civility-unbound-contesting-a-democratic-value-nyu-press-2026.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}