Alexandra Filindra

Professor of Political Science & Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago

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About Alexandra

Dr. Filindra specializes in American gun politics, immigration policy, race and ethnic politics, and public opinion. Her book, Race, Rights and Rifles: The Origins of the NRA and Contemporary Gun Culture (The University of Chicago Press, 2023) analyzes the origins of the NRA and the relationship between ideologies of citizenship and support for guns and political violence. Her current project, funded by the Russell Sage Foundation and the NIJ, focuses on the causes and consequences of threats and violence against elected officials.

Contributions | No Jargon Podcast | Member Spotlight | In the News | Publications

Contributions

Why Segregation and Racial Gaps in Education Persists 70 Years After the End of Legal Segregation

Key Findings Brief, July 2024

In the News

Opinion: "Local Officials Face Four Kinds of Threats. And They’re Escalating," Alexandra Filindra, The Washington Post, November 8, 2022.

Opinion: "What Lies Behind Mistrust of Government and Doubts About the Election? White Racial Bias," Alexandra Filindra, The Washington Post, January 31, 2022.

Opinion: "For Racially Biased Conservative Whites, Owning a Gun Is Just Part of Being a Good Citizen," Alexandra Filindra (with Beyza Buyuker), The Washington Post, March 29, 2021.

Research discussed by E.J. Graff, in "Here’s What Social Science Can Tell Us About the Alexandria Shootings," The Washington Post, June 15, 2017.

Quoted by Christopher Ingraham in "White Resentment Is Fueling Opposition to Gun Control, Researchers Say," The Washington Post, April 4, 2016.

Publications

Race, Rights, and Rifles: The Origins of the NRA and Contemporary Gun Culture (The University of Chicago Press, 2023).

Draws on wide-ranging historical and contemporary evidence to trace the origins and evolution of militarism in America and the political dimensions of gun culture.

"Immigrant Inclusion in the Safety Net: A Framework for Analysis and Effects on Educational Attainment" (with Meghan Condon and Amber Wichowsky). Policy Studies Journal 44, no. 4 (2016): 424-448.

Examines how state policies regarding immigrant inclusion in public assistance affect educational outcomes. Presents a theoretical framework for analyzing the effects of policy decisions about immigrant inclusion, and finds that broader inclusivity in the safety net correlates with increased high school graduation rates.

"Racial Resentment and Whites’ Gun Policy Preferences in Contemporary America" (with Noah J. Kaplan). Political Behavior 38 (2016): 255–275.

Explores how racial prejudice influences white opposition to gun control. Argues that the language of individual freedom used by the gun rights movement echoes historical rhetoric that opposed black civil rights, suggesting a connection to racial resentment.