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Rethinking Political Polarization
Title / Series / Name
Publication Volume
Publication Issue
Pages
Authors
Editors
Keywords
basic democratic trust
conflict
democracy
democratic enemography
intolerance
political polarization
Sociology and Political Science
conflict
democracy
democratic enemography
intolerance
political polarization
Sociology and Political Science
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14018/27213
Abstract
The comparative study of political polarization has been central to current debates on the global crisis of democracy. It has been built on uncertain conceptual foundations, though. Established uses of the concept lack a distinctive semantic core as multiple meanings compete against each other. On the basis of a broad reading of the comparative literature, I seek to circumscribe the use and reconstruct the core of political polarization as an instance of extraordinary democratic conflict. In a first step, I delineate the basic parameters of debate by distinguishing between cluster-analytic and conflict-analytic approaches and by specifying the generic type of political conflict that characterizes the polarization of democratic polities. In a second step, I argue for political intolerance as the defining trait of both ideological and social polarization. In a final step, I introduce a third, democratic dimension into the debate: the breakdown of basic democratic trust that leads actors to view their adversaries as "enemies of democracy."Such perceptions spell the end of democratic consolidation. When played among "democratic enemies,"democracy stops being "the only game in town."
Topic
Publisher
Place of Publication
Type
Journal article
Date
2023-06-09
Language
ISBN
Identifiers
10.1093/psquar/qqad038