![Jasper Johns, Flag (detail), 1954-55 (MoMA)](https://democracy-lab.media.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3349/2021/07/3155140074_a628f6e7d1_k-e1627060237364.jpg)
Photo courtesy Steven Zucker via flickr
About us
Who counts as a “real” American? What is required of a “good” citizen? Is American democracy flourishing or floundering? In today’s deeply polarized America, the answers to these questions depend on who you ask, but the ways that people answer them matter for us all. The Meanings of Democracy Lab, founded and directed by sociologist Dr. Ruth Braunstein, engages students and partners in collaborative research and discussion about the contested moral and cultural foundations of American democratic life. Current projects focus on the moral meanings of taxpaying and on battles over American identity and history.
Contact us
If you are interested in participating in or collaborating with the Meanings of Democracy Lab, please contact
Dr. Ruth Braunstein at ruth.braunstein@uconn.edu.
What’s New
- News Weekly Round-Up, July 15th – 19thNews Weekly Round-Up, July 15th – 19th, 2024. The Weekly Roundup is a student-led initiative of the Meanings of Democracy Lab highlighting the latest news about Christian Nationalism and resistance to it. CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM IN THE NEWS Kansas Reflector: Kansas, Missouri clergy on the threat White Christian Nationalism poses to democracy USAToday: Religion and the […]
- News Weekly Round-Up, July 1st – 5th, 2024News Weekly Round-Up, July 1st – 5th, 2024. The Weekly Roundup is a student-led initiative of the Meanings of Democracy Lab highlighting the latest news about Christian Nationalism and resistance to it. CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM IN THE NEWS Media Matters for America: Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, declared “We are in the process of […]
- Profiles in Resistance: Vote Common GoodVote Common Good was founded by Doug Pagitt, a liberal evangelical Christian pastor, author, and religious activist. Pagitt and his organization are outspoken in their efforts to combat legislation that seeks to fundamentally change the landscape of our country and Christianity. They work to boost support among evangelical Christians for liberal policies and encourage the […]
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Remember this👇
What do Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker and VP nominee J.D. Vance have in common? It’s not only their beards or derogatory comments towards women but also their brand of Catholic #ChristianNationalism
Our @RuthBraunstein wrote on it 🖋
“The prominence of these Catholic Christian nationalists may come as a surprise to those who associate Christian nationalism with white evangelical Protestantism.”
“While two-thirds of white evangelical Protestants nationally support Christian nationalism, according to @PRRIpoll’s American Values Atlas, only 30% of white Catholics do. And of these, only 8% of white Catholics are considered Christian nationalism ‘adherents.’”