Description
Book SynopsisTaking the long view on a groundbreaking election
Trade Review"Time will tell whether the presidential campaign of 2008 constituted what political scientists call a critical election in US history, but there is no question that it changed the game for women and African Americans in politics. . . . Recommended."--
Choice"These essays make a compelling case that the groundbreaking 2008 election was simply one chapter in a long and complicated history of race and gender politics in the United States."--
The Journal of Southern History"This readable collection brings together a distinguished group of scholars to offer reflections that place the galvanizing candidacies of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Sarah Palin in historical perspective." --Eileen Boris, coeditor of Intimate Labors: Cultures, Technologies, and the Politics of Care
"Gathering first-rate scholars, Gidlow's effort offers a raw perspective of a moment in time when the progressive efforts of generations erupted finally—and all at once—on the national stage."--
The Journal of American History"These stimulating essays draw meaning from the 2008 campaigns of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Sarah Palin at a critical juncture in U.S. history--a topic worthy of serious reflection and tackled here from a variety of interesting angles."--Louise Newman, author of
White Women's Rights: Racial Origins of Feminism in the United StatesTable of ContentsIntroduction: Taking the Long View of Election 2008 / Liette Gidlow Part I. Representations: Is Hillary Man Enough? Is Barack Black Enough? Is Michelle the New Jacqueline Kennedy? 1: Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Race Question, and the "Masculine Mystique" / Kathryn Kish Sklar; 2: Barack Obama and the Politics of Anger / Tiffany Patterson; 3: Michelle Obama, the Media Circus, and America's Racial Obsession / Mitch Kachun Part II. Historical Precedents, or How Election 2008 Began Before the Civil War 4: The 2008 Election, Black Women's Politics, and the Long Civil Rights Movement / Glenda Gilmore; 5: The Forgotten Legacy of Shirley Chisholm: Race v. Gender in the 2008 Democratic Primaries / Tera W. Hunter; 6: Hillary Clinton's Candidacy in Historical and Global Context / Susan Hartmann; 7: Defining a Maverick: Putting Palin in the Context of Western Women's Political History / Melanie Gustafson; 8: Populist Currents in the 2008 Presidential Campaign / Ronald Formisano Part III. Unintended Legacies: Democracy Undermined, Feminism Redefined 9: Obama 2.0: Farewell to the Federal Campaign Finance System and the Secret Ballot? / Paula Baker; 10: Political Feminism and the Problem of Sarah Palin / Catherine Rymph Conclusion: The Difference that "Difference" Makes / Elisabeth I. Perry Historical Timeline; Contributors
