An Introduction to African American Politics

Andra Gillespie is Associate Professor of Political Science at Emory University. She is the author of The New Black Politician: Cory Booker, Newark, and Post-Racial America (NYU Press) and editor of Whose Black Politics? Cases in Post-Racial Black Leadership (Routledge). Shayla Nunnally is Associate Professor in the department of political science and the Institute for African American Studies at the University of Connecticut. She is the author of Trust in Black America: Race, Discrimination, and Politics (NYU Press).

Part I: The Origins of African American Politics

1. Africans and Race in America

2. Democracy in Theory versus Practice: The U.S. Constitution and Socio-Political Dualities

3. Black Political Thought: How Blacks Have Conceived Black Politics over Time

Part II: Blacks and American Political Institutions, Past and Present

4. Blacks and Political Parties

5. Interest Groups and Social Movements

6. The Presidency

7. Congress and Representation

8. The Judiciary

9. State and Local Government

10. Media Representations and Their Implications for Black Politics

Part III: Contemporary African American Political Behavior

11. African American Sociopolitical Participation

12. African American Electoral Behavior

13. African American Public Opinion

Part IV: Intragroup Cleavages

14. Linked Fate and Unity within African American Politics

15. Class Cleavages and Internal Quest for Power within African American Communities

16. Gender, Sexuality, and Black Politics

17. Transnationalism, Immigration and the Politics of Diaspora

Part V: The Future of African American Politics

18. Beyond Black and White: Black Politics in Multi-Racial America

19. The Future of African American Politics