Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Politics of Place: How Southern Identity Shapes American Political Behavior

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Abstract: This research seeks to understand the relationship between Americans' identification with the American South (e.g., Southern identity) and their beliefs about politics. Using residency in the South to measure Southern identification, existing political science studies that produce mixed evidence on whether Southern identity is associated with a distinct set of political beliefs for White Americans face both theoretical and empirical limitations. These limitations include using Southern residence to measure Southern identity and understudying the relationship between Southern identity and the political beliefs of Black, White, and Latino Americans. Based on content analyses of magazines and newspapers in Southern states, contemporary social media analyses, and qualitative interviews with Southern residents, the PI constructs a multi-dimensional cross-racial measure of Southern identity and illustrates how Southern identity influences Americans to adopt similar political beliefs across race. This research demonstrates how powerful sub-national identities can be in shaping elite behavior and mass opinion. This research addresses the following questions: (1) is Southern identity a politically potent social identity for Americans across racial groups and (2) why does Southern identity have a conservatizing impact on American public opinion? This research builds on existing political psychology and race and ethnic politics literature but takes a novel approach that focuses on the role of sub-national identities in shaping political attitudes and policy preferences across racial groups. The project relies on a mixed-methods approach consisting of survey data, historical analysis of South-located newspaper and magazine articles, and textual analysis of social media data. The PI constructs a new multidimensional and dynamic measurement of Southern identity and uses the measure to test a set of public opinion-related hypotheses. Empirically, the PI demonstrates how sub-national identities can also foster intra-racial group differences. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.