Empathy Beyond Us Borders

The Challenges of Transnational Civic Engagement
Erscheinungsjahr 2019
ISBN: 978-1-108-47456-6
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 314 Seiten, Format (B × H): 213 mm x 236 mm, Gewicht: 544 g

Reihe: Cambridge Studies in Social Theory, Religion and Politics

How do middle-class Americans become aware of distant social problems and act against them? US colleges, congregations, and seminaries increasingly promote immersion travel as a way to bridge global distance, produce empathy, and increase global awareness. But does it? Drawing from a mixed methods study of a progressive, religious immersion travel organization at the US-Mexico border, Empathy Beyond US Borders provides a broad sociological context for the rise of immersion travel as a form of transnational civic engagement. Gary J. Adler, Jr follows alongside immersion travelers as they meet undocumented immigrants, walk desert trails, and witness deportations. His close observations combine with interviews and surveys to evaluate the potential of this civic action, while developing theory about culture, empathy, and progressive religion in transnational civic life. This timely book describes the moralization of travel, the organizational challenges of transnational engagement, and the difficulty of feeling transformed but not knowing how to help.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Adler Jr, Gary J

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Kultur Interessengruppen, Lobbyismus und Protestbewegungen
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Sozialphilosophie, Politische Philosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Religionsphilosophie, Philosophische Theologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religionsphilosophie, Philosophische Theologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Internationale Beziehungen
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Theorie, Politische Philosophie
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Soziologie von Migranten und Minderheiten

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. From distance to concern; Part I. Organizational Roots and Dilemmas: 2. At the border between education and action; 3. The problems of finding truth through travel; Part II. Activities, Emotions, and Empathy: 4. What immersion travelers feel all day; 5. Why it's better to walk than talk; Part III. Patterns of Experience and Transformation: 6. Guided unsettledness: how groups safely shape travel; 7. What changes and why?; 8. The possibilities and problems of immersion travel; Methodological appendix; Bibliography; Index.

Über Autor(innen)

Adler Jr, Gary J
Gary J. Adler, Jr is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Pennsylvania State University. His research on culture, civic organizations, and religion has been published in numerous journals, including Social Problems, the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, and Social Science and Medicine. He is the editor of Secularism, Catholicism, and the Future of Public Life (2015) and co-editor of American Parishes: Remaking Local Catholicism (forthcoming).