American Jews have built a political culture based on the principle of equal citizenship in a secular state. This durable worldview has guided their political behavior from the founding to the present day. In The Foundations of American Jewish Liberalism, Kenneth D. Wald traces the development of this culture by examining the controversies and threats that stimulated political participation by American Jews. Wald shows that the American political environment, permeated by classic liberal values, produced a Jewish community that differs politically from non-Jews who resemble Jews socially and from Jewish communities abroad. Drawing on survey data and extensive archival research, the book examines the ups and downs of Jewish attachment to liberalism and the Democratic Party and the tensions between two distinct strains of liberalism.

Using an evidenced-based, social-scientific approach to religion, Kenneth D. Wald and Allison Calhoun-Brown challenge the perception that religious influence in American politics is a problem to be solved. Instead, they contend that religion is a form of social identification that not only shapes our ideas about politics, but it also shapes the behavior of political elites and ordinary citizens, the interpretation of public laws, and the development of government programs. Ultimately, the authors show how religion plays a fascinating and crucial role in our nation's political process and in our culture at large. The eighth edition of Religion and Politics in the United States has been fully updated to include the latest scholarship and coverage of the 2016 presidential election. It also features a new discussion of the religious right, center, and left, as well as the impact of religion on the fight for equality based on gender and sexual orientation. Additional student resources include all new discussion questions and further readings at the end of each chapter, as well as a companion website featuring self-quizzes.

American Jews have built a political culture based on the principle of equal citizenship in a secular state. This durable worldview has guided their political behavior from the founding to the present day. In The Foundations of American Jewish Liberalism, Kenneth D. Wald traces the development of this culture by examining the controversies and threats that stimulated political participation by American Jews. Wald shows that the American political environment, permeated by classic liberal values, produced a Jewish community that differs politically from non-Jews who resemble Jews socially and from Jewish communities abroad. Drawing on survey data and extensive archival research, the book examines the ups and downs of Jewish attachment to liberalism and the Democratic Party and the tensions between two distinct strains of liberalism.

Few issues in American politics inspire such passion as that of civil rights for gays and lesbians. In this group of original essays, scholars and activists writing from a number of different perspectives provide a comprehensive overview of this heated debate. Contributors thoroughly investigate the politics of the gay and lesbian movement, beginning with its political organizations and tactics. The essays also address the strategies and ideology of conservative opposition groups, such as the Christian Right. They focus on key issues for public policy, including gays and lesbians openly serving in the military, anti-discrimination laws, and the ongoing crisis of AIDS. The book ends with chapters that discuss the ways in which the political struggle for gay rights has played out in various arenas--in Congress, in the courts, in state and local governments, and in electoral politics.
Forcefully argued and accessibly written, this collection is an important contribution to the current discussion about civil rights for gays and lesbians.

In an exploration of mass voter alignments in Great Britain, Kenneth D. Wald illuminates the electoral consequences of major social divisions and the relationship between social structure and partisanship. He establishes that the transition from religion to social class as the chief influence on British voting occurred after World War I, as most scholars have presumed, rather than before the War, as a number of recent revisionist discussions have claimed.

Originally published in 1983.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

""The Politics of Cultural Differences" is a major theoretical and empirical contribution to the scholarly study of presidential elections, one that will quickly challenge other, more traditional models of voting. It is also an important work of social science that connects with the practical world of politics. Political consultants and journalists will recognize in these pages the strategic behavior of political elites to manipulate the symbols of cultural politics and responses of citizens to those appeals. This masterful book has been dramatically narrowed the gulf between scholars and practitioners of campaigns and elections."--Thomas E. Mann, W. Averell Harriman Chair and Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution

"The fragmentation of political society in the U.S. is a fascinating phenomenon and this is the best book I've seen on that topic. I read it carefully and learned a good deal by doing so. The authors cover a tremendous swath of material and do so in a convincing and authoritative way. Their defection/abstention approach is genuinely fresh and interesting, a major contribution to electoral studies. Because 'primary group affiliations' are so important to so many Americans, the book will tap into a natural, national curiosity (among both voters and journalists) about such matters."--Roderick P. Hart, University of Texas at Austin, author of "Campaign Talk"

""The Politics of Cultural Differences" could have a big impact in political science, pushing the field to devise new ways to see the impact of campaign appeals on individuals in American politics and encouraging a new kind of thoughtfulness about groups in American politics. The book made me think about bigquestions--the connections between thought and action and the role of idea-based and group-based appeals in American politics. The authors' interest in both defection and abstention is especially thought-provoking."--Nancy Burns, University of Michigan, author of "The Formation of American Local Government" and "The Private Roots of Public Action"

In an exploration of mass voter alignments in Great Britain, Kenneth D. Wald illuminates the electoral consequences of major social divisions and the relationship between social structure and partisanship. He establishes that the transition from religion to social class as the chief influence on British voting occurred after World War I, as most scholars have presumed, rather than before the War, as a number of recent revisionist discussions have claimed. Originally published in 1983. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Using an evidenced-based, social-scientific approach to religion, Kenneth D. Wald and Allison Calhoun-Brown challenge the perception that religious influence in American politics is a problem to be solved. Instead, they contend that religion is a form of social identification that not only shapes our ideas about politics, but it also shapes the behavior of political elites and ordinary citizens, the interpretation of public laws, and the development of government programs. Ultimately, the authors show how religion plays a fascinating and crucial role in our nation's political process and in our culture at large. The eighth edition of Religion and Politics in the United States has been fully updated to include the latest scholarship and coverage of the 2016 presidential election. It also features a new discussion of the religious right, center, and left, as well as the impact of religion on the fight for equality based on gender and sexual orientation. Additional student resources include all new discussion questions and further readings at the end of each chapter, as well as a companion website featuring self-quizzes.