Hostname: page-component-669899f699-qzcqf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-05-02T04:13:38.310Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Intersectional Dynamics of Descriptive Representation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 March 2021

Celeste M. Montoya Open the ORCID record for Celeste M. Montoya [Opens in a new window] ,
Christina Bejarano ,
Nadia E. Brown  and
Sarah Allen Gershon
Celeste M. Montoya
Affiliation:
University of Colorado
Christina Bejarano
Affiliation:
Texas Woman's University
Nadia E. Brown
Affiliation:
Purdue University
Sarah Allen Gershon
Affiliation:
Georgia State University
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Research on political representation demonstrates that the presence of historically underrepresented groups in political office (descriptive representation) can have not only a substantive impact on policies and procedures but also a symbolic impact that changes the attitudes and even behavior of those groups. The dynamics of group identity and its significance for representation, however, are complicated. Individuals often hold multiple identities, and the meanings attached to those identities may vary in relation to each other and to the particular political context. In this article, we provide an intersectional analysis of two minoritized ethno-racial groups, African Americans and Latinos/as. Using data from the 2016 Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Survey, we explore the extent to which shared identity matters for perceptions of representation. Our findings demonstrate that while shared identity does influence perceptions of representation, the impact varies in complicated ways that are simultaneously raced and gendered.

Keywords

Political representationcandidate evaluationintersectionalityracegenderU.S. elections
Type
Research Article
Information
Politics & Gender , Volume 18 , Issue 2 , June 2022 , pp. 483 - 512
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Women, Gender, and Politics Research Section of the American Political Science Association

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

Footnotes

The authors acknowledge the financial support for the research by their respective universities (for Christina Bejarano, the University of Kansas).

References

REFERENCES

Adida, Claire L., Davenport, Lauren D., and McClendon, Gwyneth. 2016. “Ethnic Cueing across Minorities: A Survey Experiment of Candidate Evaluation in the United States.” Public Opinion Quarterly 80 (4): 815–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkeson, Lonna Rae. 2003. “Not All Cues Are Created Equal: The Conditional Impact of Female Candidates on Political Engagement.” Journal of Politics 65 (4): 1040–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkeson, Lonna Roe, and Carillo, Nancy. 2007. “More Is Better: The Influence of Collective Female Descriptive Representation on External Efficacy.” Politics & Gender 3 (1): 79–101.Google Scholar
Banducci, Susan A., Donovan, Todd, and Karp, Jeffrey A.. 2004. “Minority Representation, Empowerment, and Participation.” Journal of Politics 66 (2): 534–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barreto, Matt A. 2010. Ethnic Cues: The Role of Shared Ethnicity in Latino Political Participation. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barreto, Matt A., Frasure-Yokley, Lorrie, Vargas, Edward D., and Wong, Janelle. 2018. “Best Practices in Collecting Data with Asian, Black, Latino, and White Respondents: Evidence from the 2016 Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Survey.” Politics, Groups, and Identities 6 (1): 171–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barreto, Matt A., Villarreal, Mario, and Wood, Nathan D.. 2005. “Metropolitan Latino Political Behavior: Voter Turnout and Candidate Preference in Los Angeles.” Journal of Urban Affairs 27 (1): 71–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bejarano, Christina E. 2013. The Latina Advantage: Gender, Race, and Political Advantage. Austin: University of Texas Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bejarano, Christina, Brown, Nadia E., Gershon, Sarah Allen, and Montoya, Celeste. 2020. “Shared Identities: Intersectionality, Linked Fate, and Perceptions of Political Candidates.” Political Research Quarterly. Published online August 26. https://doi.org/10.1177/1065912920951640.Google Scholar
Beltrán, Cristina. 2010. The Trouble with Unity: Latino Politics and the Creation of Identity. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Bobo, Lawrence, and Gilliam, Franklin D. Jr. 1990. “Race, Sociopolitical Participation, and Black Empowerment.” American Political Science Review 84 (2): 377–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bock, Jarrod, Byrd-Craven, Jennifer, and Burkley, Melissa. 2017. “The Role of Sexism in Voting in the 2016 Presidential Election.” Personality and Individual Differences 119: 189–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, Nadia E. 2014. Sisters in the Statehouse: Black Women and Legislative Decision Making. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, Nadia E., and Gershon, Sarah Allen, eds. 2016. Distinct Identities: Minority Women in U.S. Politics. New York: Routledge Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burge, Camille D., Wamble, Julian J., and Cuomo, Rachel R.. 2020. “A Certain Type of Descriptive Representative? Understanding How the Skin Tone and Gender of Candidates Influences Black Politics.” Journal of Politics 82 (4): 1596–1601.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Canon, David T. 1999. Race, Redistricting, and Representation: The Unintended Consequences of Black Majority Districting. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Capers, Juree K., and Smith, Candis Watts. 2016. “Linked Fate at the Intersection of Race, Gender, and Ethnicity.” In Distinct Identities: Minority Women in U.S. Politics, eds. Brown, Nadia E. and Gershon, Sarah Allen. New York: Routledge, 29–48.Google Scholar
Carew, Jessica D. Johnson. 2016. “How Do You See Me?: Stereotyping of Black Women and How It Affects Them in an Electoral Context.” In Distinct Identities: Minority Women in U.S. Politics, eds. Brown, Nadia E. and Gershon, Sarah Allen. New York: Routledge, 111–31.Google Scholar
Cargile, Ivy A. M. 2016. “Latina Issues: An Analysis of the Policy Issue Competencies of Latina Candidates.” In Distinct Identities: Minority Women in U.S. Politics, eds. Brown, Nadia E. and Gershon, Sarah Allen. New York: Routledge, 150–66.Google Scholar
Casellas, Jason, and Wallace, Sophia. 2015. “The Role of Race, Ethnicity, and Party on Attitudes Toward Descriptive Representation.” American Politics Research 43 (1): 144–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cassese, Erin C., and Barnes, Tiffany D.. 2019. “Reconciling Sexism and Women's Support for Republican Candidates: A Look at Gender, Class, and Whiteness in the 2012 and 2016 Presidential Races.” Political Behavior 41: 677–700.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cassese, Erin C., and Holman, Mirya. 2019. “Playing the Woman Card: Ambivalent Sexism in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Race.” Political Psychology 40 (1): 55–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Citrin, Jack, and Sears, David O.. 2009. “Balancing National and Ethnic Identities: The Psychology of E Pluribus Unum.” In Measuring Identity: A Guide for Social Scientists, eds. Abdelal, Rawi, Herrera, Yoshiko M., Johnston, Alastair Iain, and McDermott, Rose. New York: Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 145–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, Cathy. 1999. The Boundaries of Blackness: AIDS and the Breakdown of Black Politics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Combahee River Collective. (1977) 1986. Combahee River Collective Statement: Black Feminist Organizing in the Seventies and Eighties. Albany, NY: Kitchen Table.Google Scholar
Conover, Pamela Johnston. 1984. “The Influence of Group Identifications on Political Perception and Evaluation.” Journal of Politics 46 (3): 760–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davenport, Lauren. 2020. “The Fluidity of Racial Classifications.” Annual Review of Political Science 23: 221–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dawson, Michael. 1994. Behind the Mule: Race and Class in African-American Politics. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Dolan, Kathleen. 2004. “The Impact of Candidate Sex on Evaluations of Candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives.” Social Science Quarterly 85 (1): 206–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dolan, Kathleen. 2010. “The Impact of Stereotyped Evaluation on Support for Women Candidates.” Political Behavior 31: 69–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dyer, James A., Vedlitz, Arnold, and Worchel, Stephen. 1989. “Social Distance among Racial and Ethnic Groups in Texas: Some Demographic Correlates.” Social Science Quarterly 70 (3): 607–16.Google Scholar
Frasure-Yokley, Lorrie. 2018. “Choosing the Velvet Glove: Women Voters, Ambivalent Sexism, and Vote Choice in 2016.” Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics 3 (1): 3–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
García Bedolla, Lisa. 2007. “Intersections of Inequality: Understanding Marginalization and Privilege in the Post–Civil Rights Era.” Politics & Gender 3 (2): 232–48.Google Scholar
Gay, Claudine. 2002. “Spirals of Trust? The Effect of Descriptive Representation on the Relationship between Citizens and Their Government.” American Journal of Political Science 46 (4): 717–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gershon, Sarah Allen, Montoya, Celeste, Bejarano, Christina, and Brown, Nadia. 2019. “Intersectional Linked Fate and Political Representation.” Politics, Groups, and Identities 7 (3): 642–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hancock, Ange-Marie. 2007a. “Intersectionality as a Normative and Empirical Paradigm.” Politics & Gender 3 (2): 248–54.Google Scholar
Hancock, Ange-Marie. 2007b. “When Multiplication Doesn't Equal Quick Addition: Examining Intersectionality as a Research Paradigm.” Perspectives on Politics 5 (1): 63–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hansen, Susan. 1997. “Talking about Politics: Gender and Contextual Effects on Political Proselytizing.” Journal of Politics 59 (1): 73–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hardy-Fanta, Carol, Lien, Pei-te, Pinderhughes, Dianne, and Sierra, Christine Marie. 2016. Contested Transformation: Race, Gender, and Political Leadership in 21st Century America. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hero, Rodney E. 1992. Latinos and the U.S. Political System: Two-Tiered Pluralism. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.Google Scholar
Hero, Rodney E., and Preuhs, Robert R.. 2009. “Beyond (the Scope of) Conflict: National Black and Latino Advocacy Group Relations in the Congressional and Legal Arenas.” Perspectives on Politics 7 (3): 501–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hicks, Heather Mary. 2019. “Intersectional Stereotyping in Political Campaigns.” PhD diss., University of Maryland.Google Scholar
Higginbotham, Evelyn. 1992. “African-American Women's History and the Metalanguage of Race.” Signs 17 (2): 251–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huddy, Leonie, and Carey, Tony E.. 2009. “Group Politics Redux: Race and Gender in the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primaries.” Politics & Gender 5 (1): 81–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huddy, Leonie, Cassese, Erin, and Lizotte, Mary-Kate. 2008. “Sources of Political Unity and Disunity among Women: Placing the Gender Gap in Perspective.” In Voting the Gender Gap, ed. Whittaker, Lois Duke. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 141–69.Google Scholar
Huddy, Leonie, Neely, Francis, and Lafay, Marilyn. 2000. “The Polls—Trends: Support for the Women's Movement.” Public Opinion Quarterly 64 (3): 309–50.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jones-Correa, Michael. 2011. “Commonalities, Competition and Linked Fate.” In Just Neighbors? Research on African-American and Latino Relations in the United States, eds. Telles, Edward, Sawyer, Mark, and Rivera-Salgado, Gaspar. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 63–95.Google Scholar
Jones-Correa, Michael, Wallace, Sophia, and Zepeda-Milán, Chris. 2016. “The Impact of Large-Scale Collective Action on Latino Perceptions of Commonality and Competition with African Americans.” Social Science Quarterly 97 (2): 458–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Junn, Jane. 2017. “The Trump Majority: White Womanhood and the Making of Female Voters in the U.S.” Politics, Groups, and Identities 5 (2): 343–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kim, Claire Jean, and Lee, Taeku. 2001. “Interracial Politics: Asian Americans and Other Communities of Color.” PS: Political Science and Politics 34 (3): 631–37.Google Scholar
Kinder, Donald R., and Winter, Nicholas. 2001. “Exploring the Racial Divide: Whites, Blacks, and Opinion in National Policy.” American Journal of Political Science 45 (2): 439–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kuklinski, James H., and Hurley, Normal. 1994. “On Hearing and Interpreting Political Messages: A Cautionary Tale of Citizen Cue-Taking.” Journal of Politics 56 (3): 729–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lemi, Danielle Casarez. 2018. “Identity and Coalitions in a Multiracial Era: How State Legislators Navigate Race and Ethnicity.” Politics, Groups, and Identities 6 (4): 725–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lemi, Danielle Casarez, and Brown, Nadia E.. 2019. “Melanin and Curls: Evaluation of Black Women Candidates.” Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics 4 (2): 1–38.Google Scholar
Mansbridge, Jane. 1999. “Should Blacks Represent Blacks and Women Represent Women? A Contingent ‘Yes.’” Journal of Politics 61 (3): 628–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manzano, Sylvia, and Vega, Arthur. 2006. “‘I Don't See Color, I just Vote for the Best Candidate’: The Persistence of Ethnically Polarized Voting.” In The Roots of Latino Urban Agency, eds. Navarro, Sharon A. and Rosales, Rodolfo. Denton: University of North Texas Press, 97–120.Google Scholar
Marrow, Helen. 2011. New Destination Dreaming: Immigration, Race and Legal Status in the Rural American South. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Masuoka, Natalie. 2017. Multiracial Identity and Racial Politics in the United States. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Masuoka, Natalie, and Sanchez, Gabriel. 2010. “Brown-Utility Heuristic? The Presence and Contributing Factors of Latino Linked Fate.” Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences 32 (4): 519–31.Google Scholar
McCall, Leslie. 2005. “The Complexity of Intersectionality.” Signs 30 (3): 1771–1800.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McClain, Paula D., Carew, Jessica Johnson, Walton, Eugene Jr., and Watts, Candis S.. 2009. “Group Membership, Group Identity, and Group Consciousness: Measures of Racial Identity in American Politics?” Annual Review of Political Science 12: 471–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McClain, Paula D., Carter, Niambi M., DeFrancesco Soto, Victoria M., Lyle, Monique L., Grynaviski, Jeffrey D., Nunnally, Shayla C., Scotto, Thomas J., Alan Kendrick, J., and Cotton, Kendra Davenport. 2006. “Racial Distancing in a Southern City: Latino Immigrants’ Views of Black Americans.” Journal of Politics 68 (3): 571–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McClerking, Harwood K. 2001. We're in This Together: The Origins of Maintenance of African American Fate Perceptions. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
McConnaughy, Corrine M., White, Ismail K., Leal, David L., and Casellas, Jason. 2010. “A Latino on the Ballot: Explaining Coethnic Voting among Latinos and the Response of White Americans.” Journal of Politics 72 (4): 1199–1211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McDermott, Monika L. 1998. “Race and Gender Cues in Low-Information Elections.” Political Research Quarterly 51 (4): 895–918.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Medeiros, Mike, Forest, Benjamin, and Öhberg, Patrick. 2020. “The Case for Non-Binary Gender Questions in Surveys.” PS: Political Science & Politics 53 (1): 12–35.Google Scholar
Merolla, Jennifer, Sellers, Abbylin H., and Fowler, Derek J.. 2013. “Descriptive Representation, Political Efficacy, and African Americans in the 2008 Presidential Election.” Political Psychology 34 (6): 863–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minta, Michael, and Brown, Nadia. 2014. “Intersecting Interests: Gender, Race, and Congressional Attention to Women's Issues.” Du Bois Review 11 (2) : 253–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morin, Jason L., Sanchez, Gabriel, and Barreto, Matt A.. 2011. “Perceptions of Competition.” In Just Neighbors? Research on African-American and Latino Relations in the United States, eds. Telles, Edward, Sawyer, Mark, and Rivera-Salgado, Gaspar. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 63–95.Google Scholar
Nash, Jennifer. 2019. Black Feminism Reimagined: After Intersectionality. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Orey, Byron D'Andra, and Zhang, Yu. 2019. “Melanated Millennials and the Politics of Black Hair.” Social Science Quarterly 100 (6): 2458–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pantoja, Adrian D., and Segura, Gary M.. 2003. “Does Ethnicity Matter? Descriptive Representation in Legislatures and Political Alienation Among Latinos.” Social Science Quarterly 84 (2): 441–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paolino, Phillip. 1995. “Group-Salient Issues and Group Representation: Support for Women Candidates in the 1992 Senate Elections.” American Journal of Political Science 39 (2): 294–313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Philpot, Tasha S., and Walton, Hanes Jr. 2007. “One of Our Own: Black Female Candidates and the Voters Who Support Them.” American Journal of Political Science 51 (1): 49–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plutzer, Eric, and Zipp, John. 1996. “Identity Politics, Partisanship, and Voting for Women Candidates.” Public Opinion Quarterly 60 (1): 30–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reese, Laura A., and Brown, Ronald E.. 1995. “The Effects of Religious Messages on Racial Identity and System Blame Among African Americans.” Journal of Politics 57 (1): 49–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reingold, Beth, and Harrell, Jessica. 2010. “The Impact of Descriptive Representation on Women's Political Engagement: Does Party Matter?” Political Research Quarterly 63 (2): 280–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenthal, Cindy Simon. 1995. “The Role of Descriptive Representation.” Political Research Quarterly 48 (3): 599–611.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanbonmatsu, Kira. 2002. “Gender Stereotypes and Vote Choice.” American Journal of Political Science 46 (1): 20–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanchez, Gabriel, and Morin, Jason L.. 2011. “The Effect of Descriptive Representation on Latinos’ Views of Government and Themselves.” Social Science Quarterly 92 (2): 483–508.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Segura, Gary, and Rodrigues, Helena Alves. 2006. “Comparative Ethnic Politics in the United States: Beyond Black and White.” Annual Review of Political Science 9: 375–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sen, Maya, and Wasow, Omar. 2016. “Race as a Bundle of Sticks: Designs that Estimate Effects of Seemingly Immutable Characteristics.” Annual Review of Political Science 19: 499–522.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sigelman, Lee, and Welch, Susan. 1984. “Race, Gender, and Opinion Toward Black and Female Presidential Candidates.” Public Opinion Quarterly 48 (2): 467–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silber Mohamed, Heather. 2017. The New Americans? Immigration, Protest, and the Politics of Latino Identity. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas.Google Scholar
Simien, Evelyn M. 2005. “Race, Gender, and Linked Fate.” Journal of Black Studies 35 (5): 529–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simien, Evelyn M., and Clawson, Rosalee A.. 2004. “The Intersection of Race and Gender: An Examination of Black Feminist Consciousness, Race Consciousness, and Policy Attitudes.” Social Science Quarterly 85 (3): 793–810.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smooth, Wendy G. 2006. “Intersectionality in Electoral Politics: A Mess Worth Making.” Politics & Gender 2 (3): 400–414.Google Scholar
Stokes, Adida. 2003. “Latino Group Consciousness and Political Participation.” American Politics Research 31 (4): 361–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swers, Michele L. 2005. “Connecting Descriptive and Substantive Representation: An Analysis of Sex Differences in Cosponsorship Activity.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 30 (3): 407–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tajfel, Henri. 1981. Human Groups and Social Categories: Studies in Social Psychology. London: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Tajfel, Henri, and Turner, John. 1986. “The Social Identity Theory of Intergroup Behavior.” In Psychology of Intergroup Relations, eds. Worchel, Stephen and Austin, William G.. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 7–24.Google Scholar
Tate, Katherine. 2003. Black Faces in the Mirror: African Americans and Their Representatives in the U.S. Congress. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Tate, Katherine. 2009. What's Going On? Political Incorporation and the Transformation of Black Public Opinion. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.Google Scholar
Turner, John C. 1982. “Toward a Cognitive Redefinition of the Social Group.” In Social Identity and Intergroup Relations, ed. Tajfel, Henri. London: Cambridge University Press, 15–40.Google Scholar
Tyson, Vanessa C. 2016. Twists of Fate: Multiracial Coalitions and Minority Representation in the US House of Representatives. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Valenzuela, Ali A., and Michelson, Melissa R.. 2016. “Turnout, Status, and Identity: Mobilizing Latinos to Vote with Group Appeals.” American Political Science Review 11 (4): 615–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wallace, Sophia. 2014. “Examining Latino Support for Descriptive Representation: The Role of Identity and Discrimination.” Social Science Quarterly 95 (2): 311–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
White, Ismail K., and Laird, Chryl N.. 2020. Steadfast Democrats: How Social Forces Shape Black Political Behavior. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Wilkinson, Betina. 2015. Partners or Rivals? Power and Latino, Black, and White Relations in the Twenty-First Century. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press.Google ScholarPubMed
Zepeda-Millán, Chris. 2017. Latino Mass Mobilization: Immigration, Racialization, and Activism. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Montoya et al. supplementary material

Appendix

Download Montoya et al. supplementary material(File)
File 20.1 KB