sectionalism

[sek-shuh-nl-iz-uhm]

noun

1. excessive regard for sectional or local interests; regional or local spirit, prejudice, etc.

sectionalism

/ ˈsɛkʃənəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. excessive or narrow-minded concern for local or regional interests as opposed to the interests of the whole

Other Word Forms

• sectionalist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sectionalism¹

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; sectional + -ism

Example Sentences

“What we call polarization, they called sectionalism, and in the 1850s there was a growing sense that the sections of the country were pulling apart,” said Matthew Pinsker of Dickinson University.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"I want to break down bureaucratic sectionalism, vested interests, and the blind adherence to precedent."

Read more on BBC

In 2010, Texas’s Board of Education adopted academic standards saying the conflict was caused by “sectionalism, states’ rights and slavery.”

Read more on Washington Post

The state’s roughly 5 million students would be taught that the cause of the war was “sectionalism, states’ rights and slavery.”

Read more on Washington Post

Students were being taught that there were three causes for the Civil War: sectionalism, states’ rights and slavery.

Read more on Fox News