The John W. Kluge Center will host a moderated discussion on political polarization and discourse in the U.S.

Please join the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress on March 21, from 4:00pm - 5:00pm in room LJ-119 of the Thomas Jefferson Building, for what is certain to be an engaging discussion of polarization in politics, featuring two top thinkers on the topic.

Free tickets are available here.

American political polarization runs much deeper than the candidates we choose and the policies we prefer. It is about the facts we believe. At the same time, the capacity for Red and Blue America to feel empathy for the other side is on the decline.

David C. Barker, Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University, Professor of Government, and author of One Nation, Two Realities, Dueling Facts in American Democracy with Morgan Marietta (forthcoming 2019), and Lilliana Mason, Professor of Government at the University of Maryland and author of Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity (2018), are nationally recognized experts on the roots and manifestations of political polarization.

They will take part in a discussion moderated by Kluge Center Director John Haskell on how political discourse has become so degraded, and what to look for in the future.

The event takes place on March 21, from 4:00pm - 5:00pm in room LJ-119 of the Thomas Jefferson Building. A reception with refreshments will follow.

Questions? Please contact (202) 707-9219 or scholarly@loc.gov

Tickets are recommended, and are free. Register for a ticket here. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Request ADA accommodations five days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or ada@loc.gov.