DSPO 25A92 - The Politics of Distrust in a Polarized Age

This course examines the meaning and consequences of popular distrust (e.g., perceptions of government waste, fraud, corruption, abuse) in contemporary democratic and electoral-authoritarian regimes. It probes contradictions in how scholars have approached the role of distrust in democracy. It explores how distrust becomes politicized and interacts with institutions and inequalities to drive i) participation and political violence, ii) popular reactions to public spending, taxation, immigration, public-health risks or conspiracy theories, and iii) voting behavior, especially among groups that feel threatened (whether economically or culturally). By foregrounding questions of power and state capacity—and what remains of them in the minds of voters in a globalized economy—this course offers a path to addressing the ambiguous role of trust in liberal-democratic regimes. Finally, it harnesses the mobilizing force of distrust (rather than trust) within a neo-republican framework.

The seminar assumes that students are able to read academic articles in English, identify arguments, discuss concepts, and engage with empirical evidence.

Blog Posts (20%) – Weekly critical reviews

Group Presentation (25%) – Students present a case study and lead class debates on a key question

Trust Diary (25%) – Self-reflective journal linking course content to real-life observations of political (dis)trust

Final Exam (30%) – In-class (open book)