The New Polarization in Latin America: Dynamic Patterns and Multiple Dimensions

• In Event: Polarization in Latin America: Multiple Dimensions and Varied Effects

Abstract

This paper will contextualize contemporary polarization in Latin America by locating it in a broader comparative and historical perspective and examining its relationship to the quality and stability of democracy. In that sense, it will explore different patterns, causes and consequences of polarization that the study of comparative politics has presented, emphasizing the multiple dimensions of polarization processes, the factors that encourage and potentially inhibit polarization, and the impact of polarization on democratic representation and contestation. The dynamics of polarization across elite and mass levels of analysis will be introduced, as will the different types of data used to study polarization processes in the spheres of political affect, identities, ideology, and institutions. The paper will explain how the dynamics of polarization—and, potentially, depolarization—can be shaped by political leaders, populist discourse, political parties, public attitudes, social media, and social movements. It will then lay out how the different papers in the volume address these themes, and summarize the most important contributions they make to our understanding of the nexus between polarization and democracy.

Authors

• Paolo Moncagatta, Universidad San Francisco de Quito

• Rodolfo Sarsfield, Autonomous University of Queretaro

• Kenneth M. Roberts, Cornell University