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| Dr. Stephen Caliendo |
Dr. Stephen Maynard Caliendo, co-director of the Project on Race in Political Communication (RaceProject.org), and associate professor of political science at North Central College, will present "Fairytales, Radicals and Crooks: The Role of Race in the 2008 Presidential Election," Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. in Hart Chapel. The presentatiom is free and open to the Clarion community. A brief question and answer session will follow the multimedia presentation.
While for many Barack Obama's nomination is evidence of a "post-racial" society, the types and amount of racist and racial messages in the 2008 presidential campaign are notable. After providing a framework for understanding racialized political messages (and their potential effects), Caliendo offers examples of the way race has been used in the primary and general election campaigns by Barack Obama and his white opponents.
"As we close in on an historic presidential election on November 4, I can't think of a more salient and provocative, yet all-too-often "under the radar" matter to consider," said Dr. Kevan M. Yenerall, professor of political science at Clarion University. "Here in Pennsylvania and the industrial Mid-Atlantic and Appalachian region we are especially cognizant of the covert and overt manner in which race has shaped political discourse and, occasionally, election outcomes. And it will be a special pleasure to welcome back Dr. Caliendo, a prolific scholar, dynamic lecturer, and a member of the Clarion family."
Since 2001, The Project on Race in Political Communication has been at the forefront of public conversations regarding the interaction of race, politics and language. An interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers at New York University and North Central College, the Race Project seeks to explore the dynamics of political communication as applied to issues of race and ethnicity through social science research, historical documentation, and critical commentary. In addition to traditional scholarly activities such as conference presentations and publications, Race Project researchers are frequent contributors to national, international and local media, engage in public debates about salient issues, offer guest lectures, write a weekly blog (THIS WEEK IN RACE), and maintain RaceProject.org, which serves as a repository for information of interest to persons interested in better understanding race and political communication.
Caliendo is associate professor of political science at North Central College. After graduating with a B.A. in English and political science from Clarion University in 1993, he earned a Ph.D. in political science from Purdue University in 1998, and focuses his research in the areas of political communication and political psychology. With Charlton D. McIlwain of New York University, he is co-director of The Project on Race in Political Communication (RaceProject.org) and co-editor of the forthcoming "Routledge Companion to Race and Ethnicity."
Caliendo's book "Teachers Matter" examines the effects of political socialization on attitudes toward American political institutions. With McIlwain, he is completing work on "Race Appeal," the first book from the Race Project. Caliendo's research has been presented at major conferences and published in The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, The Journal of Black Studies, and The Journal of Research and Science Teaching. He has authored or co-authored numerous entries in specialized encyclopedias and is a regular analyst for international, national, state and local media outlets.
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