The great divide: Mushrooming rural vs. urban schism undercuts focus on common issues

Most observers link identity politics with Democrats, as underrepresented groups have used their common fate as a vehicle for political action since the movement politics of the 1960s and ’70s.

The political science literature has highlighted another key identity emerging in politics in recent years: rural identity.

With identities colliding in 2024, things seem grim, says Michael Wolf, professor and department chair in the Department of Political Science at Purdue University Fort Wayne. He suggests that the way forward is to separate identities from resentment by reframing the actual problems driving it.

Read his opinion piece in The Journal Gazette (subscription required).