Polarisation

Robert Misik in conversation with Nils Kumkar

Polarisation
On the order of politics

The debate about »polarisation« is characterised by a contradiction. While more and more people fear a »division of society«, surveys show that citizens' attitudes are not drifting apart at all.

Having recently dealt with »alternative facts«, Nils C. Kumkar now turns his attention to another aspect that confuses the debate on debates. He shows that the observation of society necessarily perceives polarisation, as the latter is inherent in the political system with its distinctions between government and opposition and between rulers and ruled. According to Kumkar, division cannot ultimately be overcome. The question is how to divide more productively. Kumkar offers not only a clarification in the discussion about polarisation, but also a new explanation for the success of right-wing populism.

Nils C. Kumkar, born in 1985, is a sociologist and research assistant at the SOCIUM at the University of Bremen. He researches social inequality and political protest. Kumkar is a sought-after contact for television and radio stations and writes for the feature section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, among others.
Moderation Robert Misik, Author and journalist

Nils Kumkar:
Polarisation. On the order of politics
Suhrkamp Verlag, August 2025, 18,- €