Philosophical Shifts and Polarization

This project investigates the effects of shifts in enacted governing philosophy on forms of alienation that may lead to extreme beliefs. The focus is on changes that have occurred over the past few decades. Data are collected via interviews of people spanning a variety of beliefs in one locale. Findings from the project can be used to enhance the civility of political discourse, diminish alienation, and improve social cohesion.This is a pilot study investigating alienation and adoption of extreme beliefs as cultural processes emerging from everyday work life. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with thirty-two individuals from four categories. People are asked about work attitudes and their perspectives on different aspects of society and culture. A model is used to identify routes toward and away from extreme beliefs. This project is jointly funded by Sociology and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) programs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.