Race Appeal (Temple University Press, 2011)
Awards:
Race Appeal is the recipient of the 2012 Ralph J. Bunche Award from the American Political Science Association. The award recognizes the best scholarly work in political science published in the previous calendar year that explores the phenomenon of ethnic and cultural pluralism. The press release is here. A list of previous recipients is here.
Race Appeal was named one of the “Best of the Best of the University Presses” for 2012 by the Association of American University Presses. Watch the presentation at the American Library Association annual conference (June 24, 2012, Anaheim, CA) here.
Charlton won the 2011 Griffiths Research Award at New York University for his work on Race Appeal. More information, including the impressive list of past recipients, is here.
Stephen was awarded the Dissinger Prize for Faculty Scholarship at North Central College in 2011, in part for his work on Race Appeal.
Media:
Data from Race Appeal were featured in a Newsweek story on February 13, 2012.
Charlton discussed African Americans and the Republic Party on “On Point with Tom Ashbrook” National Public Radio.
Stephen discussed Race and the US Presidential Race on “The Agenda with Steve Pakin,” Public Television, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Reviews:
“The authors . . . 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.” Prof. Kathleen Tate, University of California–Irvine (Perspectives on Politics)
“[A]n important book that offers the most comprehensive account to date of the racialized communications environment encountered by candidates of color. . . . Race Appeal [is] a significant contribution to the racial politics literature. . . . This book is a must read . . . for anyone interested in racial politics in general and minority candidates in particular.” Prof. Michael Tesler, Brown University (Political Communication)
“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.” Prof. J. Michael Bitzer, Catawba College (Choice, “recommended”)
“Race Appeal . . . is a fascinating and well-written book which should be read by anyone who is interested in studying racial and ethnic politics, political communication, and American politics in general. As the number of minority candidates increases in the United States, this book is on the forefront of interesting research which explores how racialization in electoral politics may serve to increase or diminish minority candidates’ opportunities to hold elected office.” Prof. Christopher Stout, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (Journal of Politics)
“This work is timely and informative not only because of the 2012 Presidential election, but also because it places recent and past elections and their candidates in a new, sharper focus. . . . Written in intelligent but non-academic language, this is an outstanding selection for large public libraries, especially those with significant collections in history and popular culture, for libraries in schools with advanced placement classes (like history), and for academic libraries.” Barbara Morrow Williams, Association of American University Presses.
Overview
Combining rigorous analysis 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.