Race Appeal: How Candidates Invoke Race in U.S. Political Campaigns [Paperback]

Charlton McIlwain (Author), Stephen M Caliendo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 21, 2011

In the evolving American political culture, whites and blacks continue to respond very differently to race-based messages and the candidates who use them. Race Appeal examines the use and influence such appeals have on voters in elections for federal office in which one candidate is a member of a minority group. Charlton McIlwain and Stephen Caliendo use various analysis methods to examine candidates who play the race card in political advertisements. They offer a compelling analysis of the construction of verbal and visual racial appeals and how the news media covers campaigns involving candidates of colour. Combining rigorous analyses with in-depth case studies--including an examination of race-based appeals in the historic 2008 presidential election--Race Appeal is a groundbreaking work that represents the most extensive and thorough treatment of race-based appeals in American political campaigns to date.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In their concise analysis of race in US politics, McIlwain and Caliendo present a fascinating, engaging interdisciplinary study of how candidates, the media, and the electorate view issues concerning race... The most important contribution is probably the varied and fascinating questions that McIlwain and Caliendo leave for future researchers to investigate. Their research provides a solid foundation that future scholars will surely build upon, to the benefit of the communication and political science disciplines. Summing Up: Recommended." Choice, September 2011 "Race Appeal is an important book that offers the most comprehensive account to date of the racialized communications environment encountered by candidates of color. Indeed, the authors not only document the extent of positive and negative race-based campaign ads going back to the 1970s, but also quantify the prevalence of racial framing in news coverage of minority candidates' campaigns since the early 1990s. Finally, McIlwain and Caliendo augment those impressive content analyses of racialized communications with in-depth case studies... Race Appeal makes a significant contribution to the racial politics literature by shedding much needed light on the nature of the racialized communications environment encountered by candidates of color and showing that race is still a major issue in their campaigns - a contribution that will surely become even more important as the demographic composition of candidates for elected office changes in the decades ahead. This book is a must read, then, for anyone interested in racial politics in general and minority candidates in particular." Political Communication, Volume 29, No. 2, 2012 "The [authors] provide a meticulous definition of what constitutes a racialized campaign, they also identify the elements that can enhance the effectiveness of such campaigns...they have provided a strong and lasting piece of research. Race Appeal importantly illuminates major areas of contention, chiefly whether America is post-racial or not. And their response to the post-racial question is a deeply probative 'yes and no,' because voters don't like racial appeals, yet politicians continue to make them." Perspectives on Politics, September 2012

Book Description

In our evolving American political culture, whites and blacks continue to respond very differently to race-based messages and the candidates who use them. Race Appeal examines the use and influence such appeals have on voters in elections for federal office in which one candidate is a member of a minority group.

Charlton McIlwain and Stephen Caliendo use various analysis methods to examine candidates who play the race card in political advertisements. They offer a compelling analysis of the construction of verbal and visual racial appeals and how the news media covers campaigns involving candidates of color.

Combining rigorous analyses with in-depth case studies-including an examination of race-based appeals in the historic 2008 presidential election—Race Appeal is a groundbreaking work that represents the most extensive and thorough treatment of race-based appeals in American political campaigns to date.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (January 21, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439902763
• ISBN-13: 978-1439902769
• Product Dimensions: 0.6 x 5.9 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #689,625 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)