Uncivil agreement : how politics became our identity / Lilliana Mason.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mason, Lilliana, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Politics and government.

United States--Politics and government--21st century.

United States.

Party affiliation--United States.

Party affiliation.

Political parties--United States.

Political parties.

Political activists--United States.

Political activists.

Physical Description:

viii, 183 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Chicago, IL : The University of Chicago Press, 2018.

Summary:

Political polarization in America is at an all-time high, and the conflict has moved beyond disagreements about matters of policy. Research has shown that, for the first time in more than twenty years, majorities 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. Lilliana Mason looks at the growing social gulf between the two major political parties along racial, religious, and cultural lines. 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 another 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--back cover.

Contents:

Identity-based democracy

Using old words in new ways

A brief history of social sorting

Partisan prejudice

Socially sorted parties

The outrage and elation of partisan sorting

Activism for the wrong reasons

Can we fix it?

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 163-175) and index.

Other Format:

Ebook version :

Online version: Mason, Lilliana. Uncivil agreement

ISBN:

9780226524405

022652440X

9780226524542

022652454X

OCLC:

1002643676