With great honor and excitement, we present this issue of The Good Society: A Journal of Civic Studies. As the only academic journal devoted to civic studies, we are at the heart of a field that, while relatively new, has a rich history and an increasingly important mission. The formalization of civic studies as an academic discipline began in the late twentieth-century. In 2006, the formation of the civic studies entity with framing statements (Boyte et al., 2014), followed by the annual Summer Institute of Civic Studies (since 2008) brought together scholars, practitioners, and educators to focus on enhancing civic engagement through research and practice. Since then, annual gatherings and university programs at institutions like Tufts and James Madison University have helped build a growing body of literature and coursework focused on how citizens can create a healthy, vibrant civic society.Civic studies is, by its nature, interdisciplinary. It pulls from political science, sociology, economics, and other fields to understand and strengthen civic society, civic initiatives, and civic culture. This field is a powerful resource for addressing the complex issues of our time, and our editorial team reflects this commitment to interdisciplinarity.Too often, we narrow our understanding of democracy and citizenship. Citizenship is often equated with legal status rather than with the communities we belong to (Levine, 2022). We conflate democracy with voting systems, ignoring the daily practices and responsibilities of citizens. And we restrict civic education to merely reproducing the existing political order instead of promoting the political agency needed to continuously improve society (Biesta, 2011). These limitations lead us to ignore the purpose of democracy, which we believe is human dignity. Only in a system where people have a say in their lives and governance can their dignity be respected; we believe human dignity is the barometer by which we must measure and justify our collective actions, and a lack of focus on this principle has led to gross inequalities and injustices (Hoggan-Kloubert it’s about the guts to lead, to act in the face of polarization and win/lose situations (Chrislip it means fostering a deep understanding of democratic resilience, solidarity, and the responsibilities of a free society. Our challenges demand cooperation across borders, cultures, and institutions.As we step into the tradition established by our predecessors, we are committed to preserving the journal’s core values. We also aim to expand its reach, internationalizing the conversation to include diverse cultures and political contexts. We will deepen the journal’s attention to the interplay between civic lifelong learning and action, exploring how education and practical engagement build and sustain a democratic culture. We therefore invite contributions that tackle these urgent questions with courage and intellectual rigor. As contemporary challenges test the resolve of democracies, the responsibility falls on scholars, practitioners, and citizens alike to respond not with resignation but with thoughtful and actionable civic ideas. We hope this journal serves as a space where those ideas can find voice.
Dillard et al. (Sun,) studied this question.