Political polarization in America is at an all-time high, and the conflict has moved beyond disagreements about matters of policy. For the first time in more than twenty years, research has shown that members of both parties hold strongly unfavorable views of their opponents. This is polarization rooted in social identity, and it is growing. The campaign and election of Donald Trump laid bare this fact of the American electorate, its successful rhetoric of “us versus them” tapping into a powerful current of anger and resentment. With Uncivil Agreement, Lilliana Mason looks at the growing social gulf across racial, religious, and cultural lines, which have recently come to divide neatly between the two major political parties. She argues that group identifications have changed the way we think and feel about ourselves and our opponents. Even when Democrats and Republicans can agree on policy outcomes, they tend to view one other with distrust and to work for party victory over all else. Although the polarizing effects of social divisions have simplified our electoral choices and increased political engagement, they have not been a force that is, on balance, helpful for American democracy. Bringing together theory from political science and social psychology, Uncivil Agreement clearly describes this increasingly “social” type of polarization in American politics and will add much to our understanding of contemporary politics.

Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity

Politics & Social Sciences

Mason, Lilliana

Sociology

University of Chicago Press

Political polarization in America is at an all-time high, and the conflict has moved beyond disagreements about matters of policy. For the first time in more than twenty years, research has shown that members of both parties hold strongly unfavorable views of their opponents. This is polarization rooted in social identity, and it is growing. The campaign and election of Donald Trump laid bare this fact of the American electorate, its successful rhetoric of “us versus them” tapping into a powerful current of anger and resentment. With Uncivil Agreement, Lilliana Mason looks at the growing social gulf across racial, religious, and cultural lines, which have recently come to divide neatly between the two major political parties. She argues that group identifications have changed the way we think and feel about ourselves and our opponents. Even when Democrats and Republicans can agree on policy outcomes, they tend to view one other with distrust and to work for party victory over all else. Although the polarizing effects of social divisions have simplified our electoral choices and increased political engagement, they have not been a force that is, on balance, helpful for American democracy. Bringing together theory from political science and social psychology, Uncivil Agreement clearly describes this increasingly “social” type of polarization in American politics and will add much to our understanding of contemporary politics.

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Psychology & Counseling

Radical American Partisanship: Mapping Violent Hostility, Its Causes, and the Consequences for Democracy (Chicago Studies in American Politics)

Radical partisanship among ordinary Americans is rising, and it poses grave risks for the prospects of American democracy. &nbsp; Political violence is rising in the United States, with Republicans and Democrats divided along racial and ethnic lines that spurred massive bloodshed and democratic collapse earlier in the nation's history.&nbsp;The January 6, 2021 insurrection and the partisan responses that ensued are a vivid illustration of how deep these currents run. How did American politics become so divided that we cannot agree on how to categorize an attack on our own Capitol? For over four years, through a series of surveys and experiments, Nathan P. Kalmoe and Lilliana Mason have been studying radicalism among ordinary American partisans. In this groundbreaking book, they draw on new evidence--as well as insights from history, psychology, and political science--to put our&nbsp;present partisan fractiousness in context and to explain broad patterns of political and social change. Early chapters reveal the scope of the problem, who radical partisans are, and trends over time, while later chapters&nbsp;identify the conditions that partisans say justify violence and test how elections, political violence, and messages from leaders enflame or pacify radical views.&nbsp;Kalmoe and Mason find that&nbsp;ordinary partisanship is far more dangerous than pundits and scholars have recognized. However, these findings are not&nbsp;a forecast of inevitable doom; the current climate also brings opportunities to confront democratic threats head-on and to create a more inclusive politics.&nbsp;Timely and thought-provoking,&nbsp;Radical American Partisanship&nbsp;is vital reading for understanding our current political landscape.

Kalmoe, Nathan P.

Politics & Government

Radical partisanship among ordinary Americans is rising, and it poses grave risks for the prospects of American democracy. &nbsp; Political violence is rising in the United States, with Republicans and Democrats divided along racial and ethnic lines that spurred massive bloodshed and democratic collapse earlier in the nation's history.&nbsp;The January 6, 2021 insurrection and the partisan responses that ensued are a vivid illustration of how deep these currents run. How did American politics become so divided that we cannot agree on how to categorize an attack on our own Capitol? For over four years, through a series of surveys and experiments, Nathan P. Kalmoe and Lilliana Mason have been studying radicalism among ordinary American partisans. In this groundbreaking book, they draw on new evidence--as well as insights from history, psychology, and political science--to put our&nbsp;present partisan fractiousness in context and to explain broad patterns of political and social change. Early chapters reveal the scope of the problem, who radical partisans are, and trends over time, while later chapters&nbsp;identify the conditions that partisans say justify violence and test how elections, political violence, and messages from leaders enflame or pacify radical views.&nbsp;Kalmoe and Mason find that&nbsp;ordinary partisanship is far more dangerous than pundits and scholars have recognized. However, these findings are not&nbsp;a forecast of inevitable doom; the current climate also brings opportunities to confront democratic threats head-on and to create a more inclusive politics.&nbsp;Timely and thought-provoking,&nbsp;Radical American Partisanship&nbsp;is vital reading for understanding our current political landscape.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Mason, Lilliana. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Mason, Lilliana

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Mason, Lilliana. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity

Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity

Radical American Partisanship: Mapping Violent Hostility, Its Causes, and the Consequences for Democracy (Chicago Studies in American Politics)

Radical American Partisanship: Mapping Violent Hostility, Its Causes, and the Consequences for Democracy (Chicago Studies in American Politics)