A sharp, structural diagnosis of why our society is drifting apart—and why "trusting no one" has become the new collective identity.
We live in an era of "over-complexity." From the climate crisis to global pandemics and economic instability, the world has become too complicated for individuals to grasp fully. Paradoxically, while we need trust in experts and institutions more than ever to function, this very complexity creates the perfect breeding ground for suspicion.
In Communities of Mistrust, leading sociologist Aladin El-Mafaalani argues that this is not just a passing phase of political polarization, but a structural shift. He traces how individual skepticism solidifies into "communities of mistrust"—groups united not by shared values, but by a shared rejection of the "system".
Fueled by digital infrastructures, these communities build their own realities: from alternative media and medicine to cryptocurrencies. Mistrust transforms from a healthy democratic tool into a "normative" identity that threatens the stability of liberal democracy.
Precise, urgent, and devoid of moralizing, this book offers a crucial roadmap for understanding the "rationality" behind the rise of populism and conspiracy ideologies in the 21st century.
