[damptowel]

I'm not sure I understand when you mention academia as some monolithic structure. You mean certain dominant strands of sociology and political theory? I think that's a pretty broad generalization. Also something I notice again and again, and this was especially prevalent in the elections. That when the average US citizen talks about government he or she talks about it as some outside force imposed upon them. You have society and you have government intruding and controlling it. In other developed countries i get the impression the government is seen more as a some entity existing within society, something which can be influenced and entered into.