The Civic Imagination provides a rich empirical description of civic life and a broader discussion of the future of democracy in contemporary America. Five researchers observed and participated, over the course of a year, in 7 civic organizations in a mid-sized US city. They draw on this ethnographic evidence to map the "civic imaginations" that motivate citizenship engagement in America today. The book unpacks how contemporary Americans think about and act toward positive social and political change. The authors" findings challenge contemporary assertions of American apathy.