Constructing Political Representation: A Mess Worth Making

What do we mean by political representation? In political science, elected policymakers are said to substantively represent constituents, and policymakers who are viewed as members of particular social groups descriptively represent these groups. For instance, women’s descriptive representatives are policymakers who are received as women, and Latinx communities’ descriptive representatives are policymakers who are widely viewed as Latinx. However, public figures also construct representation through their self-presentation and their agendas, associating themselves with social groups and those groups’ interests and needs. This talk proposes strategies for interpreting constructed representation next to substantive and descriptive representation. It draws examples from the 2019-2020 U.S. Democratic primary debates, which included a historically diverse set of candidates. What do we mean by political representation? In political science, elected policymakers are said to substantively represent constituents, and policymakers who are viewed as members of particular social groups descriptively represent these groups. For instance, women’s descriptive representatives are policymakers who are received as women, and Latinx communities’ descriptive representatives are policymakers who are widely viewed as Latinx. However, public figures also construct representation through their self-presentation and their agendas, associating themselves with social groups and those groups’ interests and needs. This talk proposes strategies for interpreting constructed representation next to substantive and descriptive representation. It draws examples from the 2019-2020 U.S. Democratic primary debates, which included a historically diverse set of candidates.https://digitalcommons.bucknell.edu/fac_coll/1041/thumbnail.jp