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INTERSECTIONAL PRESENTATIONS

An Exploratory Study of Minority Congresswomen’s Websites’ Biographies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 July 2016

Nadia E. Brown  and
Sarah Allen Gershon
Nadia E. Brown*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science & African American Studies Program, Purdue University
Sarah Allen Gershon
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Georgia State University
*
*Corresponding author: Nadia E. Brown, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and African American Studies Program, Purdue University, 100 North University Street, BRNG 2249, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2098. E-mail: brown957@purdue.edu
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Abstract

In recent decades the number of women and minorities elected to public office has increased significantly, prompting a wealth of studies examining the ways these different gender and racial identities shape elected officials’ appeals to constituents. However, much previous research focuses on representational differences among either men and women or Anglos and minorities, neglecting the intersection of race and gender. We seek to fill this void by examining differences in presentation styles among Latina and African American congresswomen, their Anglo female counterparts, and minority male peers. Relying on a detailed content analysis of the biographical pages available on U.S. Representatives’ websites, we conduct an exploratory examination of the differences in representatives’ presentation of self. Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative analysis, this paper identifies the unique ways minority congresswomen present themselves and issue positions to constituents. We conclude by considering the implications of our results for minority women holding and seeking public office.

Keywords

IntersectionalityPolitical CommunicationCongresswomenGenderRacial and Ethnic MinoritiesWebsite
Type
State of the Art
Information
Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race , Volume 13 , Issue 1 , Spring 2016 , pp. 85 - 108
Copyright
Copyright © Hutchins Center for African and African American Research 2016 

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