Mini-conference on Race and Place: Polarization in the United States

This one-day mini-conference will examine the political ramifications of racial and geographic polarization in the United States.  By exploring both the existing scholarship on polarization and the efforts of practitioners to navigate the changing political terrain, we intend to delve into the myriad challenges that social and political distance creates for various groups in this country.

This conference is part of a year-long project on political polarization conducted by the Harris School’s Project on Political Reform, with the support of a grant from the Democracy Fund. This conference is also supported by the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture, UChicago Grad, and the Center for Identity + Inclusion.

The following distinguished scholars, practitioners, and speakers will take part in the day’s events:

9:00 am: Opening Remarks and Welcome
Scott Cooley and Jenn M. Jackson, Event Co-Organizers, Co-Coordinators of the American Politics Workshop

The Polarization of Place

9:15 am - 10:10 am: The Space Between Us: Social Geography and Politics

Speaker: Ryan Enos, Assistant Professor of Government at Harvard University

Discussant: Nicholas Stephanopoulos, Professor of Law, Herbert and Marjorie Fried Research Scholar, University of Chicago

10:10 am - 10:20 am: Break

10:20 am - 11:15 am: Red Fighting Blue: How Geography and Electoral Rules Polarize American Politics

Speaker: Dave Hopkins, Associate Professor of Political Science at Boston College.

Discussant: Calvin TerBeek, Doctoral Student, Department of Political Science, University of Chicago

11:15 pm - 12:10 pm: The Road to Inequality: How the American Highway System Divides Communities and Polarizes Politics

Speaker: Clayton Nall, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Stanford University

Discussant: Anthony Fowler, Associate Professor, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago

12:10 - 1:10 pm: Lunch Break

The Politics of Racial Polarization

1:10 pm - 2:05 pm: The Politics of Common Sense: How Social Movements Use Political Discourse to Change Politics and Win Acceptance

Speaker: Deva Woodly, Assistant Professor, Politics, The New School for Social Research

Discussant: Jordie Davies, Doctoral Student, Department of Political Science, University of Chicago

2:05 pm - 3:00 pm: Anger and Racial Politics: The Emotional Foundation of Racial Attitudes in America

Speaker: Antoine Banks, Associate Professor in the Department of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland

Discussant: David Knight, Doctoral Student, Department of Political Science, University of Chicago

3:00 pm - 3:10 pm: Break

3:10 pm - 4:05 pm: Anxious Politics: Democratic Citizenship in a Threatening World

Speakers: Bethany Albertson, Associate Professor Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin,

Shana Gadarian, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University.

Discussant: Geneva Cole, Doctoral Student, Department of Political Science, University of Chicago

Practitioners and the Impacts of Polarization

4:05pm - 5:15pm: Roundtable Discussion

Blake Hurst, President of the Missouri Farm Bureau

Leon Rockingham, Mayor of North Chicago, IL 

John Ostenburg, Mayor of Park Forest, IL and co-chair of the National League of Cities (NLC) Race, Equity and Leadership (REAL) Council

Moderator: William Howell, Chair, Political Science Department, University of Chicago and Director of the Project on Political Reform at the Harris School
Concluding Remarks: William Howell, Chair, Political Science Department, University of Chicago and Director of the Project on Political Reform at the Harris School

Special Thanks: 

We would like to thank all those who volunteered to help put the conference together including all of our brilliant panelists, guests, and discussants. 

William Howell, Chair, Political Science Department, University of Chicago and Director of the Project on Political Reform at the Harris School

Marc Farinella Political Communications Specialist and the Executive Director of The Project on Political Reform at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy

Celina Chatman Nelson, Director, GRAD Development & Diversity at the University of Chicago

Ravi Randhava, Senior Director for the Center for Identity + Inclusion at the University of Chicago

Tracye Matthews, Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture

Alyssa Rodriguez, Media Support, Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture

Support staff and students at the Department of Political Science, University of Chicago