Briefly, what is the history of this idea called civic reflection?
Since 1996, a group of colleagues in philanthropy, education, nonprofit leadership and public humanities have been experimenting with something that they call civic reflection through a set of projects in different parts of the country. First (in 1996) came the Tocqueville Seminars, a national experiment in seminars for civic leaders directed by Amy Kass at The University of Chicago and funded by Lilly Endowment, Inc., under the guidance of Susan Wisely. Next (in 1998) came the Project on Civic Reflection at Valparaiso University, directed by Elizabeth Lynn and also funded by Lilly Endowment. Shortly thereafter (in 1999) the Federation of State Humanities Councils began a project called the Art of Association, under the direction of Esther Mackintosh, that brought civic reflection to the boards of state humanities councils, with funding from Lilly and the Kettering Foundation. In recent years, Dorothy Schwartz and the staff of the Maine Humanities Council have launched three civic refl
