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It’s the eve of the United States presidential election. Americans decide who will be their next president tomorrow night. Will Donald Trump return to the Oval Office once more? Or will Kamala Harris defeat him amid public opinion polls over the last few days that suggest she’s inching ahead in some critical states as women, in particular, turn out to cast their ballots?
American elections have a big impact on Canada and Canadian policymakers, so the election has kept all of us busy here at The Conversation Canada. Today, Sarah Elizabeth Wolfe of Royal Roads University explains how terror management theory is relevant to the political chaos and polarization that have been prominent features of U.S. politics since Trump’s arrival on the political stage nine years ago.
We’re all afraid of death, Wolfe points out, but authoritarians or would-be authoritarians like Trump often prey on dormant fears to win support. She writes: “When death fears are unconscious … some of us will harden our identities and ideas about what we believe is right or just, what we are entitled to and with whom we’ll share resources, opportunities and power.”
We’ll have extensive coverage on the U.S. election this week, including a story today on how scenario planning could help Canadian policymakers cope with what’s ahead, and several analyses planned on the outcome. What will it mean for women politicians? What will it mean for the rising forces of authoritarianism around the world? Stay tuned.
Also today:
All the best,
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Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Greensboro, NC, on Nov. 2, 2024, in Greensboro, NC.
AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Sarah Elizabeth Wolfe, Royal Roads University
Terror management theory explains how we deal with fears of death. When those fears are subconscious, they can lead to troubling tendencies that authoritarian figures often exploit to their benefit.
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Communication accidents can damage an individual’s relationships.
(Shutterstock)
Delphine Raucher-Chéné, McGill University
Communication mishaps can happen, but many may be a sign of impaired social cognition.
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One Health is based on an understanding that our health and that of animals, plants and ecosystems are interdependent.
(Shutterstock)
Dominique Charron, University of Guelph; Cate Dewey, University of Guelph
Without a national One Health plan, Canada is vulnerable to threats from worsening climate change, accelerating biodiversity loss, pandemics and superbugs.
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Kashmiri Muslims watch from a window of their house in Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir, as a procession below celebrates the birthday of the Hindu god Krishna.
(AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)
Hari Har Jnawali, Wilfrid Laurier University
Population resettlement has become a part of South Asia’s post-colonialism playbook. The practice causes real harms to ethnic cohesion, solidarity and collective rights.
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Des gens sur le pont piéton au-dessus de la rivière Vistula à Varsovie, en Pologne, le 9 avril 2024.
(Shutterstock)
Alexandre Massaux, Université de Toulon
La Pologne affiche une forte croissance et a augmenté massivement ses dépenses militaires. Elle compte jouer un rôle accru au sein de l’Union européenne.
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Arts
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Benjamin Wild, Manchester Metropolitan University
Can the pursuit of commerce be aligned with a political conscience? The US fashion industry seems to think so.
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Culture + Society
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David A. Vivian, Soka University of America
Recent protests in the French overseas territories of Martinique and Guadeloupe are ostensibly over cost-of-living increases. But the roots of inequality go much deeper.
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Environment + Energy
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Muhammad Nakhooda, Cape Peninsula University of Technology
African governments must use the COP29 global climate change conference to make sure that artificial intelligence-driven advancements in agriculture and food production benefit all on the continent.
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Politics
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Danielle K. Brown, Michigan State University
A professor of urban journalism explains what the national press has overlooked about Detroit’s grit and revival.
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