Gender and Political Communication in America

Gender and Political Communication in America is a comprehensive anthology of work that investigates, from a rhetorical and critical standpoint, the intersection and mutual influences of gender and political communication. Building on existing theory and research, the contributors update and interrogate contemporary issues of gendered politics applicable to the 21st century, including the historic 2008 election.

At a time when presidential campaigns are shaped to appeal to women voters, when masculinity constructs impinge on wartime leaders, and when the United States appears to move towards the possibility of a woman president, it is vital that communication scholarship addresses the issue of gender and politics in a comprehensive manner. Gender and Political Communication in America: Rhetoric, Representation, and Display takes on this challenge, as it investigates, from a rhetorical and critical standpoint, the intersection and mutual influences of gender and political communication as they are realized in the nation's political discourse. Representing some of the leading investigators on gender and political communication, as well as emerging scholars, the volume's contributors update and interrogate contemporary issues of gendered politics applicable to the 21st century, including the historic 2008 election. Through their original research, the contributors offer critical examinations of the impact of salient theories and models of gender studies as they relate to historical and contemporary roles and practices in the political sphere. Gender and Political Communication in America's broad and diverse engagement with the subject matter makes it a must-read for those interested in women's studies and political communication.

Part 1 Introduction: Politics as Gendered Space
Chapter 2 Chapter 1: Navigating Gender Complexities: Hillary and Bill Clinton as a Political Team
Chapter 3 Chapter 2: Women Who Spoke for Themselves: Working Women, Suffrage, and the Construction of Women's Rhetorical Style
Chapter 4 Chapter 3: Crafting a Feminine Presidency: Elizabeth Dole's 1999 Presidential Campaign
Chapter 5 Chapter 4: The Diatribe of Ann Coulter: Gendered Style, Conservative Ideology, and the Public Sphere
Chapter 6 Chapter 5: Madame Secretary: Is the Female Voice a Difference That Makes a Difference in National Security Discourse?
Chapter 7 Chapter 6: Racing Jesse Jackson: Leadership, Masculinity, and the Black Presidency
Chapter 8 Chapter 7: Governor Mom: Jane Swift and the Body Politic
Chapter 9 Chapter 8: Beyond Lesbian Identity: Exploring the Use of Narrative in Kathy Webb's Successful Campaign for the Arkansas State Legislature
Chapter 10 Chapter 9: Traversing the Wife/Candidate Double Bind: Feminine Display in the Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Dole Senate Campaign Films
Chapter 11 Chapter 10: Political Symbolism in Chisolm '72: Unbought and Unbossed
Chapter 12 Chapter 11: Press Framing of First Ladies' Political Activism
Chapter 13 Chapter 12: Gender Bias and Maintenance: The Press Coverage of Senator Hillary Clinton's Announcement to Seek the White House
Chapter 14 Chapter 13: Visualizing Presidential Imperatives: Masculinity as Interpretive Frame in Editorial Cartoons, 1988-2008
Chapter 15 Chapter 14: Gendered Bodies: Considering the Sexual in Political Communication
Part 16 An Epistolary Epilogue: Learning from Sarah Palin's Vice-Presidential Campaign