Boundaries and cleavages: Elements of a cultural sociology of political divides

Abstract This article advances a cultural sociological approach to political cleavages by bringing cleavage theory into dialogue with research on symbolic boundaries. While structural and institutional aspects of cleavages are well studied, the ways in which political divides take root in everyday life and collective identities have only recently become a central focus of research. In this piece, I conceptualize the group dimension of cleavage formation and show that a deeper exchange between political and cultural sociology is needed to study this dimension. From a critique of prevailing accounts of group identities and political conflict (which I call tribalist, dispositional, and attitudinal accounts), I develop a relational framework that highlights the importance of symbolic boundary processes. Linking micro-level practices of classification, cultural repertoires, and morality with macro-level political transformations, this perspective sheds light on how political divides are culturally sustained. The article concludes with a call for an interdisciplinary research agenda of cultural cleavage research that integrates political science and cultural sociology perspectives.