The Formation of the American Political Field, 1872-1924

• In Event: 50416 - Political Organizations

Abstract

This article develops a historical account of the formation of the American political field between 1872 and 1924. We put to work a neo-Bourdieusian conception of the political field with a computational analysis of emergence and change in axes of opposition, dominant personas, and the overall scope of American politics using over 20 million pages of historical newspapers. Two novel computational measures show, with striking consistency, that the American political field between 1872 and 1924 expanded and then contracted, reaching maximum breadth in 1916. Within this arc were three mini-cycles: 1872-1896, reaching peak breadth in 1892; 1896 to 1912, peaking in 1904; and 1912 to 1924, peaking in 1916. Patterns are broadly consistent with relevant historiography of the period, including literatures on realignments and critical elections. The mini-cyclical pattern is also consistent with the Marxian insight that there is an intimate connection between capitalism’s crisis cycles and dynamics of political contention. Further analyses focus on geographical and territorial formation; look closely at election years that were dominated by personalities rather than issues; and track successive shifts in axes of political opposition alongside the consolidation of an increasingly heavyweight administrative state. Ultimately, this article contributes to political sociology by demonstrating how computational methods, informed by sociological theory and relational sensibilities, can deepen existing understandings of the formation of political fields. More specifically, our aim is to better grasp a volatile period in American political history that, it would seem, has striking similarities with dynamics in the present.

Authors

• Stephanie L. Mudge, University of California-Davis

• Shahar Zach, University of California-Davis