Theories of the contemporary divide in Western society

• Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies
• EGPP: European Governance and Politics Programme

A three-day conference that asks how influential approaches in political science shed light on the contemporary political divide in Western societies. The format consists of five plenary sessions, each focused on a particular theoretical perspective: cleavage theory, affective polarization, the politics of space, political economy, worldview politics.

How do influential approaches in political science shed light on the contemporary political divide in Western societies? This conference asks prominent researchers to probe the power and limitations of a key theory/approach for explaining political polarization in Western societies.

The conference will take place over three afternoons, with five plenary sessions each devoted to a particular theoretical perspective. Day 1: Cleavage Theory (Liesbet Hooghe and Gary Marks); Affective Polarization (Matthew Levendusky). Day 2: The Politics of Space (Catherine De Vries); Political Economy (Torben Iversen and David Soskice). Day 3: Worldview Politics (Marc Hetherington and Caroline Lancaster). Each session is introduced by the author(s) followed by two commentaries. We then open to discussion from the floor.