Jeremiah Cha, "Preaching to the (After School) Choir" (with Hunter E. Rendleman and Tyler Simko)
When and why does race become central to public deliberation? Existing accounts assume a linear relationship between racial diversity and racial discourse, treating it as a direct reflection of group representation or threat. We argue instead that racial discourse emerges strategically when race is both politically salient and groups are homogeneous and stable enough to serve as an effective mobilizing category. Using school board meeting transcripts from U.S. districts (2010-2023), we examine when and how frequently race is invoked across varying levels of student, board, and electorate diversity. We find that moderately diverse districts exhibit the highest levels of racial discourse, while both homogeneous and highly diverse districts exhibit lower levels. Our findings demonstrate that public invocations of race reflect strategic calculations about when racial appeals are politically useful rather than simply mirroring demographic composition. We show how speakers adapt their rhetoric to demographic contexts, with implications for understanding representation, mobilization, and when identity becomes central to political discourse.
LOCATION:CGIS Knafel room K354 STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART:20260303T170000Z DTEND:20260303T190000Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR