Fringe Consciousness and Participation in Fringe Political Organizations

• In Event: Committee on Political Sociology: Political Participation

Abstract

What motivates individuals to get involved with fringe political organizations? Especially in consolidated democracies with two-party dominant systems, the rationale for involvement with organizations such as fringe parties is unclear. Drawing from in-depth interviews and an original dataset of party movement organizations in the United Kingdom, Canada, and United States, I show that a fringe consciousness motivates individuals to get, and stay, involved with fringe party organizations. Fringe consciousness is identification with fringe, independent, or alternative politics based on personal disaffection with the political status quo and a view that politics is in need of a significant change. Beyond simple discontent, fringe consciousness stems from high levels of political interest, efficacy, and activity. Incorporating additional data from two waves of the Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES), including an original survey experiment, I highlight the role of political activity, interest, and disaffection in motivating fringe political involvement.

Author

• Catherine Kane Aiken, Georgetown University