Politics on Display: Yard Signs and the Politicization of Social Spaces

Session Submission Type: Author meet critics

Session Description

This author meets critics panel will discuss the 2019 book Politics on Display: Yard Signs and the Politicization of Social Spaces (Oxford University Press) by Todd Makse, Scott L. Minkoff, and Anand E. Sokhey. The book uses a variety of data sources – some nationally representative, some locally focused – to explore why people share their political preferences with their neighbors, and to understand the consequences of those actions. Moreover, by documenting political life in two suburban communities and a major metropolitan area with yard sign maps, survey data, and unstructured interviews, Politics on Display advances a new understanding of how citizens experience campaigns and what happens when social spaces become political spaces. In a review in Perspectives on Politics (2019), Betsy Sinclair (Washington University in St. Louis) described the book as, “thoughtful, careful, and exceptionally creative,” and “likely [to] become a staple of graduate education in American Politics” (1179).

This panel will feature Dave Darmofal (University of South Carolina), Yanna Krupnikov (Stony Brook University), Melissa Michelson (Menlo College), Clayton Nall (University of California, Santa Barbara), and Matt Pietryka (Florida State University). Given their diverse areas of expertise, we anticipate these scholars will offer thoughtful and critical perspectives on the book. Just as importantly, however, the panel will aim to produce a productive discussion on the future of community-based studies, spatially-oriented research designs, and the intersection of work on political psychology, social influence, and political geography.

Sub Unit

• Division 36: Elections and Voting Behavior

Chairs

• Anand Edward Sokhey University of Colorado, Boulder

• Todd Makse Florida International University

• Scott Louis Minkoff SUNY, New Paltz

Presenters

• David Darmofal University of South Carolina

• Yanna Krupnikov Stony Brook University

• Melissa R. Michelson Menlo College

• Clayton M. Nall University of California, Santa Barbara

• Matthew Pietryka Florida State University