From Ballot Box to Block Party: Micro-Politics of Division | Binge Thinking
About this Event
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Topic: From Ballot Box to Block Party: “Little Sort” Strategies and the Micro-Politics of Division
Speaker: Dr. Jennifer L. Garfield-Abrams (Suffolk University)
Most conversations about political polarization focus on national elections, cable news, or red vs. blue maps.
But what happens when people with radically different worldviews live on the same block?
In this talk, Dr. Jennifer Garfield-Abrams explores the “micro-politics” of division — the subtle ways neighbors navigate belonging, identity, conflict, and community in an increasingly polarized America.
Drawing from years of ethnographic research and interviews with residents in a politically divided small city, she examines how people carve out social worlds for themselves, “find their people,” and compete over the meaning and culture of the places they call home.
Topics include:
- Why political polarization is deeply rooted in local community life
- How people create social and symbolic boundaries in everyday interactions
- What happens when neighborhoods become politically and culturally divided
- How identity, belonging, and local history shape community conflict
- Why local communities may also be the best place to rebuild democratic dialogue
Rather than focusing on politics as something abstract or distant, this talk explores how polarization transforms friendships, neighborhoods, public spaces, and daily life itself.
About the Speaker
Dr. Jennifer Garfield-Abrams is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University whose research explores urban life, political polarization, and community belonging in changing cities. She earned her B.A. from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She leads the Urban Ethnography Lab, where students examine how people navigate identity, conflict, and social change in contemporary communities.
Agenda
7:00 PM — Doors Open & Drinks
7:30 PM — Lecture Begins
8:10 PM — Audience Q&A
8:30 PM — Drinks & Conversation
9:00 PM — Event Ends
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 32.95
