Divided We Fall
How we can resist polarizing pressures and strengthen our identity as citizens
by Max Cameron
An analysis of the forces driving disunity in Canada. This book offers Canadians a path forward in rebuilding civic responsibility and finding common ground.
The divisions among Canadians have been growing in recent years. Despite the Elbows Up movement in response to American threats, even our national unity seems at risk. Rising inequality, regional discontent, and growing distrust of democratic institutions are fuelling populist rhetoric and misinformation, problems that are amplified by social media.
Author Max Cameron explores the history of polarization in our country, as well as the forces, both internal and external, that threaten Canadian unity.
His account is based on firsthand experience working with Canadians of a wide range of political outlooks who are entering public life. In this book, Cameron suggests how Canadians can rebuild civil discourse based on our common citizenship and restore a shared sense of purpose at a vital point in our country’s history.
Featured in CBC Books, the Globe and Mail, CBC Early Edition, The Tyee, The Walrus, CTV Your Morning Vancouver and more.
About the Author
DR. MAXWELL A. CAMERON is a Professor in the Department of Political Science and the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at UBC. Max is a specialist in comparative politics and has published extensively on problems of democratization. He co-founded the Institute for Future Legislators, a program to prepare citizens for public service. In 2022, Max was the recipient of the 2022 Guillermo O’Donnell Democracy Award and Lectureship by the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) for his work on democracy in Latin America, and in 2024 he was elected President of LASA. He lives in Vancouver.
Reviews
"Very much written for this moment."
"...Examines the forces pulling Canada apart—and argues that democratic citizenship can still hold it together."
"Cameron isn’t simply arguing that political polarization is bad. He takes a much more open look at why people are becoming disconnected from one another, where political resentment comes from, and what happens when economic inequality and a loss of community begin affecting the way we see our society."
"This is the moment we all need to have a discussion about democracy."
"[L]ooks at political division, the lessons Canada can learn from the Unites States, and the role people can play in strengthening democracy."
"[This] timely new book...reminds us not only about our obligations as citizens, but also about the dangers of division."
Subjects (BISAC)
Subjects
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