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Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity Paperback – April 16, 2018
With Uncivil Agreement, Lilliana Mason looks at the growing social gulf across racial, religious, and cultural lines, which have recently come to divide neatly between the two major political parties. She argues that group identifications have changed the way we think and feel about ourselves and our opponents. Even when Democrats and Republicans can agree on policy outcomes, they tend to view one other with distrust and to work for party victory over all else. Although the polarizing effects of social divisions have simplified our electoral choices and increased political engagement, they have not been a force that is, on balance, helpful for American democracy. Bringing together theory from political science and social psychology, Uncivil Agreement clearly describes this increasingly “social” type of polarization in American politics and will add much to our understanding of contemporary politics.
- Print length192 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateApril 16, 2018
- Dimensions8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
- ISBN-10022652454X
- ISBN-13978-0226524542
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Get to know this book
What's it about?
A compelling exploration of how social identities fuel political polarization, eroding trust and civil discourse in American democracy.Popular highlight
More often than not, citizens do not choose which party to support based on policy opinion; they alter their policy opinion according to which party they support.375 Kindle readers highlighted thisPopular highlight
The privileging of victory over the greater good is a natural outcome of even the most meaningless group label.370 Kindle readers highlighted thisPopular highlight
Motivated reasoning is the process by which individuals rationalize their choices in a way that is consistent with what they prefer to believe, rather than with what is actually true.357 Kindle readers highlighted this
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Sobering. . . . Mason argues that factors such as class, race, religion, gender, and sexuality used to cut across one another to a significant extent. . . . In the past decades, though, ‘partisan, ideological, religious, and racial identities have moved into strong alignment. . . . A single vote can now indicate a person’s partisan preference as well as his or her religion, race, ethnicity, gender, neighborhood and favorite grocery store.’” -- Yascha Mounk ― New Yorker
“Highly recommended. . . . In describing American politics today, Mason argues that partisan identity (Democrat or Republican) has become a 'mega-identity' because it increasingly combines a number of different identities. . . . And which party people belong to is important because there is some evidence that instead of people choosing their party affiliation based on their political views (and changing parties if their views are no longer represented by that party), they shift their views to align with their party identity." -- Perry Bacon Jr. ― 538
“Recent debates about partisan polarization have focused primarily on ideology and policy views. In Uncivil Agreement, social identity moves to the center of how to think about the differences that divide the country.”
― New Books Network
“Uncivil Agreement opens a window to a better understanding of the 'why' behind the polarization of contemporary American politics. This is a groundbreaking book, combining an interesting and important theoretical approach with strong empirical data, and it will have real impact.” -- David P. Redlawsk, University of Delaware
“A must-read for anyone trying to understand the increasingly polarized nature of American politics. Mason offers a psychological identity-based explanation for today’s polarized politics, an explanation that provides insights both into its most important attitudinal and behavioral consequences, but also into possible approaches that could help move the American public a few steps back from the precipice.” -- Richard R. Lau, Rutgers University
“The mutual disdain felt by Democrats and Republicans around the country has reached toxic levels, and it is having profound consequences for the quality of our policies, not just our politics. How did we get here? Mason’s brilliantly designed research and compelling writing reveal the most convincing explanation to date.” -- Nicholas Valentino, University of Michigan
"Mason describes social polarization in the USA and its political parties, a sorting that generated distinct psychological and behavioural outcomes. Americans have sorted into politically partisan (party support, based on ideology and policy positions) groups and social (racial, religious, geographic, ideological) groups. Because of social sorting, greater polarization of both parties has occurred. This polarization has generated greater partisan prejudice, more political action and more emotionality (reactivity). Her book explains how a well-sorted set of partisan and social identities, a phenomenon beginning in the 1950s and well underway before Obama was elected, is uniquely capable of motivating three polarizations—more partisan, more action and more emotion." -- Eleanor D. Glor ― The Innovation Journal: The Public Sector Innovation Journal
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : University of Chicago Press; Illustrated edition (April 16, 2018)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 192 pages
- ISBN-10 : 022652454X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0226524542
- Item Weight : 9.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #277,588 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #202 in General Elections & Political Process
- #203 in Political Parties (Books)
- #791 in Political Conservatism & Liberalism
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
![Lilliana Mason](https://cdn.statically.io/img/m.media-amazon.com/images/S/amzn-author-media-prod/712hk7ufcpoj85use0cchr2tam._SY600_.jpg)
Lilliana Mason is an associate professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University and the SNF Agora Institute
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the content good, clever, and provocative. They also appreciate the author's careful empirical research, which makes the book compelling and timely. However, some find the book hard to read and have difficulty seeing the charts and graphs on their iPad based Kindle reader.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the research clever, careful, and one of the best explanations of current polarization in the country. They also say the book is an introductory work and the statistical data and interpretation are top-notch. Customers also mention the concept is interesting, but the analysis is repetitive. Overall, they describe the book as approachable and compelling.
"...The book is convincing in part because it makes intuitive sense (at least to me) but mostly because of the author's clever and careful empirical..." Read more
"...Her scholarship, statistical data, and data interpretation are topnotch. She shows the widening gap between Republicans and Democrats...." Read more
"Dr. Mason's book is not only approachable, but it is makes a compelling argument that we are driven by the proclivities of our identities -..." Read more
"This book constitutes an excellent empirical demonstration the that hyper-partisanship that we see in the current era both reflects and compounds..." Read more
Customers find the content interesting, enjoyable, and readable. They also mention that the book is short.
"...The book is convincing in part because it makes intuitive sense (at least to me) but mostly because of the author's clever and careful empirical..." Read more
"...science, and that should go to tell you that this book is worth the read...." Read more
"...The content is strong and interesting, however. I can't say if all the books are built this way, but it might be safer to get the Kindle edition." Read more
"This is a highly readable research project to discern how and why the divide has deepened between Republicans and Democrats...." Read more
Customers find the visual presentation of the book difficult to read. They mention that the charts and graphs don't show up on their iPad based Kindle reader, and they have to squint to read the graphs.
"...I read the Kindle version of the book, and I found that I had to squint to read the graphs. But it was still very much worth it...." Read more
"...I did have a problem seeing the charts and graphs on my iPad based Kindle reader, though I didn’t have a similar problem on my Android based phone..." Read more
"...Her data presentation is abysmal...." Read more
"The figures don't show up! Waste of money...." Read more
Customers find the book hard to read and difficult to follow.
"...The angle is significant enough to make the book hard to read. The content is strong and interesting, however...." Read more
"...Without actual numbers to work from, sometimes it's difficult to follow the author's obviously well-constructed argument." Read more
"...but this book is so academic. Not readable for those of us just trying to figure out how we got here" Read more
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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The book is timely because it can help to explain the high levels of political anger that we see around us. The book is convincing in part because it makes intuitive sense (at least to me) but mostly because of the author's clever and careful empirical research. Even a skeptic should find her studies persuasive.
We might naturally assume that our political selves are shaped by our interests and our views of policy. The alternative that Mason proposes is that our political selves are shaped by our sense of where we fit in socially.
From this alternative perspective, the increase in polarization arises from the fact that people are becoming more certain of where they belong in the social sphere. Our social class structure has become more segregated. Fewer people cross the bridges between status groups defined by location, education level, wealth, race, religiosity, etc.
As the social structure solidifies, political antagonism increases. People who are locked into their identity as Democrats only care about seeing Democrats win and Republicans lose. Republicans, too, have come to care more about winning than about issues. I would note that Democrats loved Barack Obama's victories, even though at the state level the party hollowed out while he was President. By the same token, Republicans love Donald Trump's victory, even though it seems to be devastating the party's future.
Another trend is an increase in what Mason calls "blind" activism. That is, political activism driven by anger and enthusiasm, rather than by reason and practical considerations.
I think that the publisher is wrong to position this as a purely academic book or textbook. It should be of value to the many people who have a general interest in the nature of political behavior. I read the Kindle version of the book, and I found that I had to squint to read the graphs. But it was still very much worth it.
Finally, I cannot resist saying that if you like this book, you may also like my own more amateurish effort, The Three Languages of Politics. Although my book is very different in style from Uncivil Agreement, I think that the two books share some of the same underlying psychological outlook.
However, Mason tries too hard to be non-partisan in her account because by showing the sins of both the Republicans and Democrats, she implies a moral equivalency that cannot stand. Specifically, as I write we have a president who lies everyday on Twitter and elsewhere, takes babies away from their mothers, pens them in internment camps, and at Helsinki dismissed US Intelligence and sided with Russia. In spite of this president's egregious behavior, he enjoys 90% approval from Republicans and 80% approval from white Evangelicals. Such moral bankruptcy is even called out by conservative operatives like David Frum, Steve Schmidt, and Rick Wilson. Therefore, the sins of Democrats, whether they be economic spending excesses, identity politics, and whatever else, are not a moral equivalence of support for a sociopath president.
Mason should have made this non equivalence clear in her book. Secondly, she should have pointed out that Republicans have been dog whistling racism for decades and this culminated into the president we have now. Thirdly, Mason should have made it clear that not all party opposition is unreasonable. It is very reasonable for people on both parties to oppose a liar and a criminal. My guess is that Mason was trying too hard to be non partisan to make this point clear. Perhaps she wrote this book before the criminality unfolded from the White House. I just want to add the full story. I am writing as no Kool-Aid drinker for liberalism. In fact, I find the criticism of the current White House more cogent and convincing from the aforementioned David Frum, Steve Schmidt, and Rick Wilson.
Reading this book might even make holidays spent with the friends and family members who voted for Trump or ultra-right candidates (or fringe candidates) a little easier to get through - because now you'll know why they always have an argument for everything! Reading this has helped me not start arguments with my former Democrat-leaning, now Trump-voting grandpa and even my uber-Democrat uncle. (For real. Knowledge is power!)
Top reviews from other countries
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The book itself starts off really good and it gets very scholarly. Because it veers into more of a research thesis vs a book targeted to lay people, it makes for dry reading for the second half. It doesn't help I can 't see the data represented in the book.
Overall, Lilliana Mason does a good job making her point. It is very appropriate for our time.