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Divisions and Cleavages in Contemporary Europe

Sat, August 31, 4:00 to 5:30pm, Marriott, Wilson A

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

Societies across Europe and North America are increasingly divided and many fear the bonds of citizenship are breaking. Recent elections have been bitterly fought over the role of immigration, European unification and – more generally – how open or closed societies should be to the forces of globalization. Yet, there are many unanswered questions about how these divides operate. In this panel, we explore several aspects of the divisions and cleavages in contemporary Europe. The paper from Bornschier, Colombo, Häusermann and Zollinger unpacks the concept of partisan divides by exploring the social categories that Swiss voters from different parties subjectively perceive as most important to their lives. The paper from Helbling and Jungkunz explores whether divides over globalization have downstream effects on political attitudes and behavior. The paper from Hobolt, Pickup and Tilley examines the most contentious issue in contemporary British politics and analyzes whether the process of leaving the EU has led to new and meaningful ‘Brexit’ identities with social and political consequences. Finally, the paper from Maxwell explores competing explanations for urban-rural divides over cosmopolitanism in Switzerland. Together, these papers investigation some of the core issues animating contemporary European politics, which will have important implications for the coherence of nation-states.

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