In the past two decades, a discourse of crisis has emerged about the
democratic institutions and political culture of the US: Many structures
of authority which people had more or less taken for granted are facing
a massive public loss of trust. This volume takes an interdisciplinary
and historical look at the transformations of authority and trust in the
United States. The contributors examine government institutions,
political parties, urban neighborhoods, scientific experts,
international leadership, religious communities, and literary
production. Exploring the nexus between authority and trust is crucial
to understand the loss of legitimacy experienced by political, social,
and cultural institutions not only in the United States but in Western
democracies at large.