Synopses & Reviews
The unique political history of the Southern United States is rooted in the fact that it is the only region to have ever taken up arms against the national government. While the resources of the North prevailed after the four bloody years of the Civil War, the consequences of the practice of slavery and the bitter loss experienced by the South continue to shape southern politics a century and a half later. The twenty-three essays included in The Oxford Handbook of Southern Politics present a definitive view of the factors that contribute to this region's distinctive politics, examining these factors in the context of the South's political development since World War II. Following an introductory essay by editors Charles Bullock III and Mark Rozell, five chapters survey the past seventy-five years of the region's political history, looking in particular at the Civil Rights Movement, urbanization of the South, and the area's economy and changing demographics. Four chapters will then take a closer look at the influence of particular demographics, including religious conservatives, women, and Latinos. This will be followed by chapters on the rise of the Republican Party, southern political attitudes, and political and economic development in the Southern Black Belt. Subsequent chapters will examine political parties, voting and elections, including party organizations and activists, the mainstreaming of the Republican Party, realignment, party building, and Deep South politics. The five chapters of the final section will look at the South's impact on national politics, at the executive and congressional levels, legislatively and on the nation more generally.
About the Author
Charles S. Bullock III is Richard B. Russell Professor of Political Science at the University of Georgia.
Mark J. Rozell is Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University.
Table of Contents
About the Contributors
Part I: Introduction
1. The Evolving Politics of the South, Charles S. Bullock III and Mark J. Rozell
Part II: Demographics and Political Attitudes
2. Southern Politics at the Time of V. O. Key, Alexander P. Lamis
3. The South's Changing Demographics, Susan A. MacManus
4. Urbanization of the South, Arnold Fleischmann
5. The Southern Economy, Art Carden
6. Religious Conservatives and the Transformation of Southern Politics, Mark J. Rozell and Mark Caleb Smith
7. Race, the Civil Rights Movement and Southern Politics, Seth C. McKee
8. Women in Southern Politics, Sarah Poggione
9. Buenas Dias, Y'all: Latinos in the South, James Lamare, J. L. Polinard, Joseph Stewart, and Robert D. Wrinkle
10. Gerrymandering and the Republican Conversion of Southern State Legislatures, David Lublin and Thomas F. Schaller
11. Southern Political Attitudes, David A. Breaux and Stephen D. Shaffer
12. Politics and Economic Development in the Southern Black Belt, Joe A. Sumners and Amelia H. Stehouwer
Part III: Political Parties, Voting and Elections
13. Realignment, Ronald Keith Gaddie
14. Southern Party Organizations and Activists, John A. Clark
15. The Republican Party in the American South: From Radical Fringe to Conservative Mainstream, M.V. Hood III, Quentin Kidd, and Irwin L. Morris
16. Party Building in the South through Conversion, Antoine Yoshinaka
17. Minor Party Presidential Candidates and Southern Politics: A Regional Comparison, Ted G. Jelen
18. Deep South Politics: The Enduring Racial Division in National Elections, Merle Black and Earl Black
Part IV: Southern Impact on State and National Politics
19. The Impact of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act on Southern Politics, Ronald E. Weber
20. Enforcing Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, Michael K. Fauntroy
21. The South and Presidential Elections, Laurence Moreland and Robert P. Steed
22. Southern Influence in Congress, Stanley P. Berard
23. How the South Has Influenced the Nation, Augustus B. Cochran, III