Valeria Sinclair-Chapman
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About Valeria
Sinclair-Chapman’s work focuses on American political institutions, minority representation in Congress, minority political participation, and diversity in social movements. Broadly construed, her research examines why and how previously marginalized groups gain inclusion in the American political system. She has published articles in leading journals and is co-author of an award-winning book, Countervailing Forces in African-American Political Activism, 1973-1994 (Cambridge University Press, 2006). She is a co-editor of the American Political Science Review and co-director of the Institute for Civically Engaged Research.
Contributions
Why Political Science Can and Should Lead Diversity Efforts in Higher Education
In the News
Publications
Argues that the Confederate flag is a symbol only distantly connected to its referent and is more informed by emotion than by details or facts. Uses the actions of rapper Kanye West as an abbreviated case study and proposes the possibility of disrupting symbolic meanings in ways that could make Confederate symbols less sticky in meaning and ownership, and perhaps less politically divisive.
Advances a diversity infrastructure theory to explain why and how minority legislators have kept minority interests on the congressional agenda. Finds that despite the decline of national attention to civil rights and social welfare issues in general, increased diversity in the House and to a lesser extent, in the Senate is responsible for keeping minority interests on the congressional agenda.
Discusses diversity in the discipline of political science.