Thanks to all who nominated thought-provoking books for our statewide read on democracy. To receive announcements about this and the Council’s many other projects and grant opportunities, keep checking www.calhum.org or sign up for our eNews.

Photo of flag
“I loved how the flag caught the light behind it. It looks luminous with edges being clear; it’s almost a drawing with its outlines. And there is the building in construction, not quite finished yet, but it can be metaphoric—as in, we’re not quite a whole nation yet, but we’re under a common goal.”

Photograph and text by young “How I See It—My Place” Program Participant Kathy Pham, San Jose, CA

Searching for Democracy

The California Council for the Humanities (CCH) has launched a thematic program initiative designed to animate a public conversation on the meaning of democracy today—through a series of local, regional and statewide humanities-inspired activities. The goal of these efforts is to enhance understanding of the civic realm and improve our ability to exercise "the ultimate powers of the society"—those of self-government.

The progress of the American democratic experiment requires a broad, thoughtful, and ongoing civic conversation about who we are as a people, what we value, and what are our rights, resources, and responsibilities. To begin that conversation, we need to understand the cultural complexity that exists within our nation and examine the beliefs that shape this understanding. CCH and its partners are working to thoughtfully explore these complexities and to achieve the understanding needed to sustain a healthy democracy and inform our role as a society in an increasingly interdependent world.

The Council’s Searching for Democracy initiative is made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, BayTree Fund, Seedlings Foundation, the California State Library, and the Whitman Institute.

2011 Forum: "Democracy and the Culture of Civic Conversation"

Watch recorded webcasts from the Council’s March 2011 forum on Democracy and the Culture of Civic Conversation and learn more about forum speakers, moderators, and topics—all at www.searchingfordemocracy.org.

The kickoff to the Searching for Democracy initiative, a forum entitled “Democracy and the Culture of Civic Conversation,” was held March 4, 2011 at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy and adjacent Japanese American National Museum in downtown Los Angeles. Leading a consortium of California-based educational institutions and public organizations, the California Council for the Humanities convened scholars, public intellectuals, policy specialists, journalists, authors, educators, and members of the general public in a day-long, thought-provoking conversation about the evolution of civic conversation and the changing nature of democracy over time.

California Reads

As part of the Searching for Democracy initiative, CCH and its partners—the California Center for the Book (CFB) and the California State Library—have launched a statewide read to animate a public conversation on democracy and civic values leading into the 2012 elections. Through library-initiated community-wide programs, California Reads will engage Californians in exploring the meaning of democracy through reading, discussion, and related activities centered on a slate of books that explore important themes related to the topic.

Wherever There’s A Fight

Another program of CCH’s Searching for Democracy initiative, but created in partnership with Exhibit Envoy, Wherever There’s A Fight: A History of Civil Liberties in California is a banner exhibition that tells the hidden stories of unsung heroes and heroines throughout California who stood up for their rights in the face of social hostility, physical violence, economic hardship, and political stonewalling. Based on the 2009 Heyday book by Elaine Elinson and Stan Yogi (www.wherevertheresafight.com), the exhibition spans the period from the Gold Rush to the post-9/11 era. The exhibition is touring to colleges, museums, and libraries across California. For more information about the exhibition, visit www.exhibitenvoy.org.

Teaching Democracy

Teaching Democracy is a Searching for Democracy program aimed at enhancing how California’s young people understand and grapple with how to be an engaged participant in a democratic society. This program will consist of a series of webinars with renowned scholars who will address questions and subjects critical to a thorough comprehension of what democracy in the US consists of. Teaching Democracy is being created in partnership with the California History-Social Science Project.

These and other Searching for Democracy public humanities programs and activities will be taking place throughout 2012.

Information about opportunities, activities, and resources related to the Searching for Democracy initiative will be posted on our website as it becomes available. Please sign up to receive e-mail updates about programs, events, and opportunities from the Council.

Partners

CCH is honored to be partnering with a diverse array of organizations to develop and implement these different programs of the Searching for Democracy initiative, including:

California Center for the Book, California History-Social Science Project, Exhibit Envoy, and Zócalo Public Square.