Project at HIAS
Uncivil State of America
In the U.S., large majorities of the public believe that civility is necessary for democracy—but also that there is a major and growing problem with incivility in politics. Why this contradiction? During her time with HIAS, Ashley Muddiman will work on a book that will make the following argument: incivility—that is, the violation of political norms—can threaten democracies, not because the public does not like incivility or because candidates are sometimes impolite to each other but because some political elites weaponize incivility to gain political power. The book will largely focus on incivility in United States politics, but offers warnings and potential ways forward for other countries, including Germany, facing similar issues.
Her Tandem Partner is Michael Brüggeman, Professor for Communication Studies at the University of Hamburg.
Website
Funding
The HIAS Fellowship is provided by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and the federal and state funds acquired by the University of Hamburg in the framework of its Excellence Strategy.
Tandem
Prof. Dr. Michael Brüggemann, Communication Studies, University of Hamburg
Biography
Ashley Muddiman is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Co-Director of the Center for Democratic Governance at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, USA. She also is a faculty research affiliate with the Center for Media Engagement, housed in the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin. Before joining KU in 2015, Ashley Muddiman was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism at the University of Wyoming. She earned her PhD in Communication Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, her MA in Communication from Wake Forest University, and her BA in Communication from Miami University.
For over 15 years, Ashley Muddiman has studied democracy and political communication. Specifically, she investigates political incivility and democratic norms, political media content and its effects on the public, and mis- and disinformation in democratic contexts.
Ashley Muddiman‘s HIAS Fellowship is provided by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and the federal and state funds acquired by the University of Hamburg in the framework of its Excellence Strategy.