Trigger Points

Steffen Mau is Professor of Macrosociology at the Institute of Social Sciences, Humboldt-University of Berlin.Thomas Lux is Deputy Professor at the Institute of Social Sciences, Humboldt-University of Berlin.Linus Westheuser is Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences, Humboldt-University of Berlin.

• 1. Introduction2. Arenas of Conflicts over Inequality 3. Top-Bottom Inequalities4. Inside-Outside Inequalities5. Us-Them Inequalities6. Today-Tomorrow Inequalities7. Trigger Points8. A Social Map of Political Conflicts9. Affect and Structure10. The Political Arenas of Conflicts over Inequality 11. Politicization and Conflict in Contemporary Society

‘Trigger Points is truly a tour de force: The authors develop a radically innovative and persuasive argument with broad implications for rethinking the polarization of contemporary societies. While their focus is on inequality, cleavages and boundaries in Germany, their analysis will help us understand other societies in the context of the growing influence of the radical right. Their book deserves a broad hearing by social scientists everywhere.’ Michèle Lamont, Harvard University‘We live in a moment when claims of polarization and democratic breakdown often outrun the facts. Trigger Points restores analytical clarity. Grounded in exceptional empirical research and animated by a deep concern for democracy, it explains why certain issues ignite conflict—and why democracies are more resilient than we are often told. A major bestseller in Germany, this book is sure to have broad international resonance for all of our democracies as they face new and old perils.’ Daniel Ziblatt, Harvard University