(A collaborative project in the spirit of Tocqueville’s Democracy in America.)

Greenwood Press is planning a two-volume set on American Democracy which will likely go to press at some point in 2012. This set will resemble an encyclopedia in that it will consist of a series of pertinent and instructive entries assembled in alphabetical order, but in other ways it will resemble a collection of analytical essays through which the various authors of the selected pieces will be encouraged to reflect upon the essential meaning and current relevance of their respective topics for the purpose of “educating democracy” in the spirit of Alexis de Tocqueville. This model provided by Tocqueville is the central theme through which the numerous essays are meant to be connected, either directly or indirectly, in the hope that readers will gain greater insight into the dynamics of democratic politics and government in America. These volumes are intended to be at once academic and practical, speaking to students of political inquiry as well as to active citizens seeking to elevate democratic values and strengthen democratic institutions. Additionally, this project seeks to suspend established, unreflective assumptions and worn, ideological perspectives in an attempt to provide readers with a more comprehensive and scholarly resource for a deeper understanding of both the ideals and realities of the American polity. This effort thus is aimed at encouraging a renewed commitment to public life throughout the American polity through an examination of various topics and themes in American democracy that will stimulate a more educated and

Toward this end we are calling for contributions to these two volumes. Candidates will be able to select from a list of current topics still available and submit a draft for consideration. The topics vary in length, ranging from longer entries of 2,500 words (7-8 pages) to entries capped at 1,500 words (5-6 pages) to shorter entries of approximately 500-850 words (or about 2-3 ½ pages). The deadline for submission is September 15, 2010.

As of this writing several contributors are committed, but there remain an ample number of entries available to those who might wish to join the project. Should you be interested in participating in this project, please send a brief description of your research interests and teaching experience to Scott J. Hammond, editor, at hammonsj@jmu.edu.

Entries will be accepted for publication at the discretion of the editors and publisher, and are subject to normal (and hopefully light) editing.

There will be a modest honorarium for contributions, the amount of which is to be determined later (probably somewhere between $25.00-$80.00/entry, depending upon the length of the entry and the total number of contributors participating).

If you have any further questions, please contact me at the e-mail provided above. I look forward to working with you in the near future.