(from the publisher)
"What stands between us and authoritarianism seems increasingly fragile. Democratic values and open society can only be preserved if citizens can discover and claim their voices. We access society through our organisations, yet their collective voices and irrationalities do not offer clear pathways for individuals to locate themselves. How can we move through the mounting chaos of our social systems, through our multiple roles in groups and institutions, to find a voice that matters? What kind of perspective will allow institutional leaders to facilitate the discovery of active citizenship and support engagement?
With the assistance of detailed stories, the steps, and conscious and unconscious linkages, from being a family member, to entering outside groups, and to taking up and making sense of institutional roles illuminate the process of claiming the citizen role. With the help of leaders who recognise and utilise the dynamics of social systems, there may yet be hope for us as citizens to use our institutional experiences to discover a place to stand."