This Week's New Books "There Is No Single America"...Colin Woodard Unearths the Roots of American Political Divisions, 《Divided America》 Published

A new book analyzing the reality of the superpower United States, shaken by polarization and political conflict, has been translated and published domestically—examining it in three dimensions not through a dichotomy of "ruling and opposition" or "progressive and conservative," but from the perspective of "geography and culture." This is 《Divided America》(original title: Nations Apart, published by Glhangari), a new work released 13 years after his previous bestseller 《The Disuniting of America》by Colin Woodard, a North American regionalism researcher and journalist who sparked considerable resonance with his earlier work.

To find answers to the extreme divisions facing American politics today, the author erases the familiar boundaries of 50 states. Instead, he reclassifies the North American continent into 9 major regional cultures (Nations) that share historical and cultural identity.

Each region—such as 'Yankeedom,' founded by Puritans pursuing communal ideals; 'Deep South,' characterized by strong individualism and conservative coloring; 'New Netherland,' rooted in commercial pragmatism; and 'Greater Appalachia,' with religious fundamentalism and distinctive autonomous culture—has maintained its own cultural DNA for hundreds of years. According to the author, America was not born as a unified nation from the outset, but rather as a federation of heterogeneous colonies with different ideologies and traditions, and these longstanding fractures have persisted to this day.

Polarization Analyzed by Data: A Map of Divided Values from Gun Control and Abortion to Environmental Policy

The book's greatest strength is that these cultural differences are not mere speculation but are proven by vast statistical data penetrating contemporary America's sensitive issues—gun regulation, abortion, climate change response, and perceptions of democracy versus authoritarianism.

For instance, even indicators such as environmental policy or recycling rates show stark differences between the Yankeedom region and the New France region, vividly demonstrating that the force determining lifestyles and values stems from deeper regional culture rather than party politics.

Harbinger of Democracy Crisis: Fractures Shaking the Very Foundation of the Federal System Beyond Simple Party Rivalry

The author points out that the fragmentation of American society weakens the foundation of national unity beyond mere policy disagreements. If conflict continues to deepen, it will lead to diminished trust in electoral systems and rule of law, and ultimately threatens the very existence of the federal system itself—a sharp warning the author delivers.

Recommended For

• Readers who wish to deeply understand the ever-deepening American situation and the background of global news • Humanities and social sciences enthusiasts who want to view contemporary social conflicts from historical, geographical, and cultural perspectives beyond simple ideological conflict

This intellectual grand exploration, which confronts us with America's true face, poses a weighty question: what should we look to in order to overcome the democracy crisis we face today.