Eric Klinenberg: Palaces for the People

Description

Sociologist Eric Klinenberg discusses his new book, Palaces for the People, an examination of how social infrastructure can help fight inequality, polarization, and the decline of public life.

In Palaces, Klinenberg—professor of sociology and director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University—posits that the future of democratic societies rests not simply on shared values but on shared spaces: the libraries, childcare centers, bookstores, churches, synagogues, and parks where crucial, sometimes life-saving connections are formed. The book urges us to acknowledge the crucial role these spaces play in civic life and to consider that our social infrastructure could be the key to bridging our seemingly unbridgeable divides—and safeguarding democracy.

Klinenberg's talk will be followed by a book signing in the lobby of Mason Hall.

This event is sponsored by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University.