Political polarization is a symbolic struggle over sacred meanings, not just disagreement.

People often see political division as just two sides having different opinions. The authors argue it is much deeper. They built a new model that treats political conflict as a fight over deeply held, sacred cultural meanings. In this view, groups connect their moral views on hot-button issues into long chains of shared identity, using key symbols to bind them together. As rival groups push these opposing stories, they actually define who they are in direct opposition to each other. This cultural clash links up with real-world social problems, like inequality, segregation, or violence. Together, these cultural and social forces feed into or weaken one another over time. Instead of needing two separate explanations, the authors show that division and healing work as connected parts of the exact same process.

Why it matters

Researchers and policymakers often study cultural disagreement and social division separately. This paper shows they are deeply connected: how groups define themselves through sacred symbols can drive social inequalities and conflicts, and vice versa. Understanding this link helps explain why polarization deepens or eases, offering a roadmap for depolarization efforts.

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