Books like “Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of America,” by John Sides, Michael Tesler, [UCI professor of political science] and Lynn Vavreck., are a good way to understand the mechanics of what changed in that crucial primary and election in the United States — how race and immigration became more salient to voters and how that compounded the effects of a racial realignment that had been happening since the mid-20th century, when the battle over civil rights reshaped party politics. I found it clarified my thinking and helped pin down what really did and didn’t change in the many elections that people warned (or promised) were going to change everything.

For the full story, please visit https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/08/world/europe/how-the-far-right-is-chipping-away-at-a-postwar-taboo.html.