Democracy & Solidarity

On the Cultural Roots of America’s Political Crisis

Liberal democracy in America has always contained contradictions—most notably, a noble but abstract commitment to freedom, justice, and equality that, tragically, has seldom been realized in practice. While these contradictions have caused dissent and even violence, there was always an underlying and evolving solidarity drawn from the cultural resources of America’s “hybrid Enlightenment.” 

James Davison Hunter, who introduced the concept of “culture wars” thirty years ago, tells us in this new book—the bookend to Culture Wars—that those historic sources of national solidarity have now largely dissolved. While a deepening political polarization is the most obvious sign of this, the true problem is not polarization per se but the absence of cultural resources to work through what divides us. The destructive logic that has filled the void only makes bridging our differences more challenging. In the end, all political regimes require some level of unity. If it cannot be generated organically, it will be imposed by force.

Can America’s political crisis be fixed? Can an Enlightenment-era institution—liberal democracy—survive and thrive in a post-Enlightenment world? If, for some, salvaging the older sources of national solidarity is neither possible sociologically, nor desirable politically or ethically, what cultural resources will support liberal democracy in the future?

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• “This wonderfully intelligent book, impressively readable despite its length, is all the more necessary for readers, on either side of the Atlantic and beyond, who both want to understand how we got to a place where no one seems particularly happy in their political landscape and also want to know what they can sensibly hope for and work towards.”
  —Rowan Williams, New Statesman

• “Hunter, a scholar at the University of Virginia, is (in my opinion) the nation’s leading cultural historian.” —David Brooks, The New York Times

• “For those seeking to understand how we got here—and what we can do now—this is a vital book.” —Jon Meacham, author of The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels

• “In Democracy and Solidarity, James Davison Hunter offers a sweeping history of the American culture war. This book is extensively researched, extremely engaging, and offers a powerful, clear, and original argument.” —Kathleen Sands, author of America’s Religious Wars: The Embattled Heart of Our Public Life

• “A fresh and challenging interpretation of America in crisis. Hunter has the insight to discern the nihilism pervading our politics, the courage to see its authoritarian consequences, and the wisdom to imagine humane alternatives.” —Jackson Lears, author of Animal Spirits: The American Pursuit of Vitality from Camp Meeting to Wall Street

• “Hunter’s Democracy and Solidarity is among the most insightful analyses of these bases, the tensions making them unstable, and what it means today that so many so-called leaders have pulled back from working through the challenges.” —Craig Calhoun, coauthor of Degenerations of Democracy

• “Hunter has written a gripping account of the rise and fall of liberal democracy, reminding us that politics depends upon culture. This is a necessary book for anyone seeking to understand how America lost its way.” —Paul W. Kahn, author of Democracy in Our America: Can We Still Govern Ourselves?

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