Civic Friendship in the Wild

How can we imagine the ideal of "civic friendship" in the current contentious atmosphere? This article recasts the original concept of civic friendship through a tangle construct known as "weak ties." It introduces the initial interactions between Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Jane Addams as a useful model for forging weak ties toward civic friendship. Although the two worked on different subdomains of social concerns before their paths crossed, and their early connection was based on weak ties, these grew stronger with time. The Addams and Wells-Barnett case shows the counterintuitive aspect of civic friendship: it can begin with a stretch just a little more than usual, rather than a massive jump to the other side. I indicate the zone of acceptance and "calling-in" strategies as crucial intervention options. Last, I examine practical implications for democratic education, with an emphasis on student-led civics initiatives.