The La Selva Beach Community Church is pleased to offer a lecture on Alexis de Tocqueville and democracy in America on Tuesday, January 15th, 7:30pm in the church sanctuary by a renowned Tocqueville scholar, Dr. James T. Schleifer.

Who was Alexis de Tocqueville and why is his book so famous and highly regarded?  What are his basic ideas about democracy and what does he say about American politics, society and culture? What would Tocqueville, who visited in the 1830’s, say about America today, including religion in America? Dr. Schleifer will discuss this and more during what will undoubtedly be a stimulating evening.
Dr. Schleifer  is Professor Emeritus of History and former Dean of Gill Library at the College of New Rochelle.  He received his Ph.D. in History from Yale University, has taught as a Visiting Professor at Yale University and at the University of Paris and has lectured at universities in the United States and abroad.  He is currently a member of the French National Commission for the Publication of the Complete Works of Alexis de Tocqueville, an international body of scholars appointed by the French government.  Author of numerous articles and essays, Dr. Schleifer’s major publications include:  The Making of Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America”; The Chicago Companion to Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America”; and translator, the complete critical edition of Democracy in America.  In February-March 2013 he will be in Tokyo, where he has been invited to present a seminar on Tocqueville’s Democracy as a Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Political Science, Waseda University.