Intersectionality and Politics

Cutting-edge research on the intersection of race, gender, and politics Traditionally, there has been a significant lack of empirical attention given to the ways in which race/ethnicity, gender, and political representation overlap. Intersectionality and Politics is the groundbreaking collection of contemporary research and essays that applies the concept of intersectionality specifically to descriptive and substantive representation by African-American, Latino/a, and Asian-American elected officials. This unique compilation looks at numerous states and focuses on multiple racial/ethnic groups to demonstrate the importance of this theory for understanding the political leadership of people of color and women. Intersectionality and Politics is the wide-ranging text that is both informative overview and thought-provoking analysis of a subject that has received little practical study. Articles in this important text cover a expansive gamutfrom women of color as elected officials and the changing face of leadership in America today to an exploration of the growing interest in intersectionality and a look toward the potential of future researchmaking it a useful and comprehensive one-stop resource. Contributors to Intersectionality and Politics explore critical topics such as: - the contours and context of descriptive representation with a focus on women of color - the puzzle of women of color's proportionately higher percentage of office holding in state legislatures - agenda-setting behavior of African-American female state legislators - the impact of race and gender on the likelihood of legislative bill submission and passage - patterns of gendered representation and related legislative advocacy within Latino delegations in the Southwest - new findings on the Latino/a gender gap - the public policy implications of intersectionality theory - and many more! Complete with extensive bibliographies and a wealth of tables and figures to highlight the striking findings, Intersectionality and Politics is ideal for undergraduate and graduate students and educators in political science, ethnic studies, Latino/Black/Asian studies, gender studies, sociology, and women's studies. Policymakers, politicians, and those working in high-minority areas will also find this to be an invaluable text.

Carol Hardy-Fanta, PhD, is Director of the Center forWomen in Politics and Public Policy at UMass Boston's John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies.Dr. Hardy-Fanta is the author of two books, and numerous articles. She is a nationally recognized scholar on Latina/o politics and has published widely on the intersection of gender, race, and ethnicity in politics and public policy.

- Introduction (Carol Hardy-Fanta) - THE CONTOURS AND CONTEXT OF DESCRIPTIVE REPRESENTATION - Gender, Race, and Descriptive Representation in the United States: Findings from the Gender and Multicultural Leadership Project (Carol Hardy-Fanta, Pei-te Lien, Dianne M. Pinderhughes, and Christine Marie Sierra) - Women of Color in State Legislatures: Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and Legislative Office Holding (Becki Scola) - SUBSTANTIVE IMPACT OF THE CHANGING FACE OF ELECTED OFFICIALS - Agenda Setting and African-American Women in State Legislatures (Kathleen A. Bratton, Kerry L. Haynie, and Beth Reingold) - Race and Gender Matter: Refining Models of Legislative Policy Making in State Legislatures (Byron D'Andrá Orey, Wendy Smooth, with Kimberly S. Adams and Kisha Harris-Clark) - Gender and Ethnicity: Patterns of Electoral Success and Legislative Advocacy Among Latina and Latino State Officials in Four States (Luis Ricardo Fraga, Linda Lopez, Valerie Martinez-Ebers, and Ricardo Ramírez) - A Second Look: Is There a Latina/o Gender Gap? (Lisa García Bedolla, Jessica L. Lavariega Monforti, and Adrian D. Pantoja) - INTERSECTIONALITY: POLITICAL LEADERSHIP AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS - Envisioning the Possibilities for a Good Life: Exploring the Public Policy Implications of Intersectionality Theory (Tiffany Manuel) - Commentary: The Practice and Functioning of Intersectionality and Politics (Julia S. Jordan-Zachery) - About the Contributors - Index - Reference Notes Included