The Prairie Landscape

Detours - The online magazine of the Illinois Humanities Council

Res Publica

Res Publica

It is with the unsung public service heroes in mind that the IHC presents "Res Publica," the third issue of Detours. Literally translated from Latin, it means "the public affairs," and refers to the idea of a commonwealth, a republic, the public sphere. We have brought together several contributors, each of whom examine specific components of the public sphere in America. Their contributions range from the rights and obligations of women in a democracy, to a discussion of what it means to be "a good citizen," to observations on the state of our civic dialogue on the airwaves, from political pulpits, and in cyberspace.