30205

The Transformation of West European Political Arenas

Alexander Pries

Kommentar

In recent decades, Western European democracies have undergone profound political transformations. Established party families have lost significant portions of their traditional voter bases and ideological profile. Additionally, two waves of new party families have emerged. Beginning in the late 1960s, new social movements began emphasizing issues such as environmental protection, climate change, and minority rights. Later, these were brought into the political arena by party families commonly referred to as the “New Left” or “Green Parties.” More recently, a second wave has materialized with the rise of Populist Radical Right parties, driven by increasing salience of issues such as immigration and nationalism. Several political crises—including the financial, migration, and pandemic crises—alongside long-term developments such as educational expansion, globalization, and European integration have accompanied and shaped these shifts.

The core question of this seminar is: How can we make sense of these developments? To answer this, the seminar is structured into three blocks: We begin by examining classic understandings of West European politics using cleavage theory. What is a political cleavage, and how did it structure political competition in the post-war period? Next, we turn to empirical studies on political change. How has the political arena evolved, and how have scholars explained these changes? While some argue that we are witnessing the dealignment between social groups and political parties, others interpret these changes as signs of realignment along a new political cleavage. In the final block, we bring together theory and empirical findings to critically evaluate competing explanations. We ask: What are the strengths and limitations of current approaches, and how might we better understand contemporary European politics? By the end of this course, students will have developed a solid understanding of key debates in the field and honed their skills in conceptual clarity, empirical analysis, and critical engagement with social research. Schließen

16 Termine

Regelmäßige Termine der Lehrveranstaltung

Di, 14:00 - 16:00 16 Termine

Di, 14.10.2025 14:00 - 16:00

Dozenten:
Alexander Pries