Political Polarization
JPM061 (14.9.2026)
Semester: Winter 2026/2027
Instructor: Associate Professor Petra Guasti
Email: petra.guasti@fsv.cuni.cz
Times & Room: Wednesday 12:30-13:50, Room B329
Credits: 6 ECTS
Language: English
Course Description:
Political polarization has become a defining concept in contemporary political science, yet its causes, forms, and democratic consequences remain deeply contested. This course examines polarization as a multidimensional phenomenon, moving beyond the predominant focus on affective polarization and the United States to develop a comparative understanding of democratic conflict across political systems. Drawing on research from Europe, North America, and beyond, students examine competing conceptualisations of polarization, its relationship to party systems, democratic institutions, populism, the media, political identities, and democratic erosion. Particular attention is paid to parliamentary and multiparty democracies, Central and Eastern Europe, and the conditions under which polarization contributes to democratic resilience, democratic backsliding, or political violence. The course combines classic works with recent scholarship to encourage students to critically evaluate both the analytical usefulness and the normative implications of polarization as a central concept in contemporary comparative politics.
- Teacher: Petra Guasti