One of the leading thinkers to emerge in the postwar conservative intellectual revival was the sociologist Robert Nisbet. His bookThe Quest for Community, published in 1953, stands as one of the most persuasive accounts of the dilemmas confronting modern society.Nearly a half century before Robert Putnam documented the atomization of society inBowling Alone, Nisbet argued that the rise of the powerful modern state had eroded the sources of communitythe family, the neighborhood, the church, the guild. Alienation and loneliness inevitably resulted. But as the traditional ties that bind fell away, the human impulse toward community led people to turn even more to the government itself, allowing statismeven totalitarianismto flourish.ISI Books is proud to present this new edition of Nisbet's magnum opus, featuring a brilliant introduction byNew York Timescolumnist Ross Douthat and three critical essays. Published at a time when our communal life has only grown weaker and when many Americans display cultish enthusiasm for a charismatic president, this new edition ofThe Quest for Communityshows that Nisbet's insights are as relevant today as ever.
