Global cleavages
Organization
Daniele Caramani | University of Zurich | EUI (European University Institute)
Chair: Manuela Caini | Scuola Normale Superiore
The talk examines how major social and political divisions (cleavages) have shaped world politics since the 19th century. It expands cleavage theory beyond national politics to global divisions such as core vs. periphery, North vs. South, class, gender, and generations. Using exit-voice models, it explains how global inequalities become politicized through processes of social exclusion, boundary formation, and the concentration of power at the centre. The talk argues that traditional territorial divisions are increasingly being replaced or supplemented by functional divisions that cross national and regional borders. This enables transnational groups to organize around shared identities and inequalities and to develop forms of solidarity across regions. It presents a theoretical framework and empirical evidence, drawing on different types of data covering approximately 180 years of global history.
Daniele Caramani is professor of Comparative Politics at the University of Zurich and part-time Ernst B. Haas Chair of European Governance and Politics at the European University Institute in Florence where he directs an ERC Advanced Grant project on 'Global Cleavages'.
IMG credit: Steve A Johnson by Unsplash