Politics on Display

Political yard signs are one of the most ubiquitous and conspicuous features of American political campaigns yet they have received relatively little attention as a form of political communication or participation. In Politics on Display Todd Makse Scott L. Minkoff and Anand E. Sokhey tackle this phenomenon to craft a larger argument about the politics of identity and space in contemporary America. Documenting political life in two suburban communities and a major metropolitan area they use an unprecedented research design that leverages street-level observation of the placement of yard signs and neighborhood-specific survey research that delves into the attitudes behavior and social networks of residents. The authors then integrate these data into a geo-database that also includes demographic and election data. Supplemented by nationally-representative data sources the book brings together insights from political communication political psychology and political geography. Against a backdrop of conflict and division this book advances a new understanding of how citizens experience campaigns why many still insist on airing their views in public and what happens when social spaces become political spaces.