The book “Polarization and Deep Contestations – The Liberal Script in the United States” edited by SCRIPTS director, Prof. Dr. Tanja A. Börzel, Prof. Dr. Thomas Risse, Prof. Dr. Stephanie B. Anderson and Prof. Dr. Jean A. Garrison is the second publication in the Oxford University Press Series. 

This volume brings together a diverse group of 15 scholars from the social sciences and humanities, representing seven universities in the United States, Mexico, and Germany. 

The book explores the deep contestations of the liberal script in contemporary United States from a variety of perspectives, and shows that the rise of Donald Trump is a symptom and a catalyst – but not the cause – of the current crisis in US democracy. “ Tanja points out that the book “highlights how elite-driven polarization can escalate criticism of specific liberal principles and institutions into the outright rejection of the liberal script.”

Each chapter addresses three key questions: (1) How unique is the situation in the United States compared to other democracies? (2) What are the primary drivers of these challenges? (3) What are the likely consequences for the future of American democracy?

“Polarization and Deep Contestations – The Liberal Script in the United States” was written in cooperation with scholars from the Center for Global Studies of the University of Wyoming (UW). On 16 September an event marking the book launch brought together 120 participants at the UW campus.