Cleavages and divides in voting and political theory

Abstract

This chapter sketches the elements of a theory of groups’ divisions as relevant for politics. It starts with a discussion of the excessive stretching of the concept of ‘cleavages’. It moves next to a classification of ‘divides’, a general category that covers all sorts of groups’ oppositions/conflicts. This analysis proposes seven types of ‘simple’ and ‘compound’ divides combining in a different way the divisions rooted into the ‘social stratification’, the ‘normative’ and the ‘behavioural’ systems. In the second section, the chapter discusses the concept of ‘cleavages’ as a special type of compound divide, the process of cleavage formation, and cleavage change in the interaction of the social, normative, and behavioural dimensions. The third section applies this framework to the religious cleavage, which is the object of this volume. The chapter concludes with a reflection on how voting studies could profit from a theory of different types of divides.