The Republican Party's Use of Identity Politics: Case Studies into Recent Collective Identities' Influence in Republican Campaigning and Education Policies

Presenter

Greta Isabel Luf

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Leda Cooks, Department of Communication, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 3, 1:30 PM - 2:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A29, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 2 (A21-A40) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

Identity politics is the concept that a person’s political actions are based on their identity, whether it be their race, sex, gender, ethnicity, or religion, rather than just prescribing to a specific political party through and through. Despite the phrase’s broad definition, it typically encompasses specific races, genders, and sexualities, while the denotation is much broader. The most referenced group’s identity politics are Black, LGBTQIA+, and female Americans. These populations are more likely to vote for Democratic candidates and back progressive policies. Due to this association, the phrase has been used more frequently by politicians in the Democratic party. However, both the Democratic and Republican parties benefit from the same concept of identity politics or collective identities rallying behind specific politicians and policies; they have different identity politics in their favor. 

This study works to uncover how the Republican Party has used identity politics to push its political agenda, and how, despite not using the same verbiage as identity politics, it is capitalizing on the same concept. The study aims to identify the definition, both denotation and connotation, of identity politics through textual analysis and show examples of how the Republican Party has used the concept to benefit campaigns, such as the election of Donald Trump in 2016, and policies, such as the increased emphasis on restricting public education curriculum.

Keywords

Identity Groups, Politicized Media, Voting, Public Education Policy

Research Area

Political Science and Government

SIMILAR ABSTRACTS (BY KEYWORD)