Distinct Identities

The second edition of Distinct Identities continues to provide a sophisticated yet accessible introduction to the complexities of the politics, social structures, and cultural contexts that animate how women of color engage in and shape U.S. politics. Keeping the structure of the original volume, this text represents the diverse and innovative scholarship being conducted in this field while covering the core topics in gender politics.

What’s New:

• Chapters on queer women of color and the role of women of color and social movements.
• Chapters on the strategies that women of color use to run for office, where they run, political newcomers (Asian and Indigenous women).
• Chapters on the experiences of women of color office holders.
• Chapters on policy analysis and the media’s role in shaping the political agenda of women of color political elites.

Distinct Identities pushes the boundaries of traditional intersectional scholarship and responds to America’s rapidly diversifying demographics and political culture. It reflects cutting-edge scholarship and provides readers with insight into where the field of women of color politics will head in the coming years.

Nadia E. Brown is Professor of Government, Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and Affiliate in African American Studies at Georgetown University. She is a former lead editor of Politics, Groups and Identities, a journal of the Western Political Science Association. Dr. Brown is a founding board member of Women Also Know Stuff. She is also one of the American politics editors at The Monkey Cage. She is an award-winning author, anti-sexual assault advocate, and #AcademicMama. Her research interests lie broadly in identity politics, legislative studies, and Black women’s studies. While trained as a political scientist, her scholarship on intersectionality seeks to push beyond disciplinary constraints to think more holistically about the politics of identity.

Sarah Allen Gershon is Ray and John Uttenhove WomenLead Professor at Georgia State University. Her research focuses primarily on the incorporation of traditionally underrepresented groups (including women, and racial and ethnic minorities) into the American political system. Dr. Gershon’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and published in numerous journals. She also co-authored (with Larry Berman, Bruce Allen Murphy, and Nadia Brown) the 9th and 10th editions of Approaching Democracy. Dr. Gershon teaches courses on research methods, women in politics, and campaigns & elections.