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Authoritarianism and polarization in American politics

By: Contributor(s): Publication details: New York Cambridge University Press 2010Description: xi, 234 pISBN:
  • 9780521711241
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 303.36 H3A8
Summary: Although politics at the elite level has been polarized for some time, a scholarly controversy has raged over whether ordinary Americans are polarized. This book argues that they are and that the reason is growing polarization of worldviews – what guides people's view of right and wrong and good and evil. These differences in worldview are rooted in what Marc J. Hetherington and Jonathan D. Weiler describe as authoritarianism. They show that differences of opinion concerning the most provocative issues on the contemporary issue agenda – about race, gay marriage, illegal immigration, and the use of force to resolve security problems – reflect differences in individuals’ levels of authoritarianism. This makes authoritarianism an especially compelling explanation of contemporary American politics. Events and strategic political decisions have conspired to make all these considerations more salient. The authors demonstrate that the left and the right have coalesced around these opposing worldviews, which has provided politics with more incandescent hues than before. 1. It explains why Americans feel polarized even if they don't call themselves strong liberals and strong conservatives 2. It explains why certain issues, like the war on terror and gay marriage, have come to play such central roles in political debates 3. Offers an especially powerful explanation for the voting dynamics among white working class voters, a much discussed, but poorly understood, portion of the American electorate (http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/politics-international-relations/american-government-politics-and-policy/authoritarianism-and-polarization-american-politics)
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Item type Current library Item location Collection Shelving location Call number Status Date due Barcode
Books Vikram Sarabhai Library Rack 8-B / Slot 328 (0 Floor, West Wing) Non-fiction General Stacks 303.36 H3A8 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 192632

Table of Contents:

1. Spanking or time out: a clash of worldviews?

2. Putting polarization in perspective

3. Authoritarianism and non-authoritarianism: concepts and measures

4. Historical account of the roots of worldview evolution

5. How authoritarianism structures contemporary issues

6. Threat and authoritarianism: polarization or convergence

7. Evidence of worldview evolution

8. Immigration: a reinforcing cleavage that constrains the GOP

9. What the 2008 democratic nomination struggle reveals about party polarization

10. A somewhat different take on polarization.

Although politics at the elite level has been polarized for some time, a scholarly controversy has raged over whether ordinary Americans are polarized. This book argues that they are and that the reason is growing polarization of worldviews – what guides people's view of right and wrong and good and evil. These differences in worldview are rooted in what Marc J. Hetherington and Jonathan D. Weiler describe as authoritarianism. They show that differences of opinion concerning the most provocative issues on the contemporary issue agenda – about race, gay marriage, illegal immigration, and the use of force to resolve security problems – reflect differences in individuals’ levels of authoritarianism. This makes authoritarianism an especially compelling explanation of contemporary American politics. Events and strategic political decisions have conspired to make all these considerations more salient. The authors demonstrate that the left and the right have coalesced around these opposing worldviews, which has provided politics with more incandescent hues than before.

1. It explains why Americans feel polarized even if they don't call themselves strong liberals and strong conservatives
2. It explains why certain issues, like the war on terror and gay marriage, have come to play such central roles in political debates
3. Offers an especially powerful explanation for the voting dynamics among white working class voters, a much discussed, but poorly understood, portion of the American electorate

(http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/politics-international-relations/american-government-politics-and-policy/authoritarianism-and-polarization-american-politics)

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