Contested Transformation

Carol Hardy-Fanta is Senior Fellow at the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. From 2001 to 2012 she served as director of the McCormack School's Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy and its graduate program. She has published widely in the fields of race, gender, and politics. Pei-te Lien is a professor of Political Science and holds an affiliated professorship with the Department of Asian American Studies and that of Feminist Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her primary research interest is the political participation and representation of Asian and other non-white Americans, her recent work examines the intersection of race, ethnicity, gender, and nativity in political behavior. Dianne Pinderhughes is University of Notre Dame Presidential Faculty Fellow as well as Professor in the Departments of Political Science and Africana Studies, and chair of the department of Africana Studies. Her research addresses inequality with a focus on racial, ethnic and gender politics and public policy in the Americas, explores the creation of American civil society institutions in the twentieth century, and analyzes their influence on the formation of voting rights policy. Christine Marie Sierra is Professor Emerita of Political Science at the University of New Mexico. From 2011 to 2014 she served as Director of the Southwest Hispanic Research Institute at the university. Her expertise is in American politics with a focus on race, ethnicity, and gender. Her publications include work on Mexican-American activism on immigration policy, Hispanic politics in New Mexico, and the politics of Latina women in the United States.

• Introduction; Part I. Transforming the American Political Landscape: 1. Dual narratives; dramatic growth and continuing underrepresentation; 2. Who governs at the local level?; 3. Portrait of elected officials of color; Part II. Paths to Political Office: 4. The decision to run and patterns of office holding; 5. The election contest: navigating the campaign trail; Part III. Leadership, Governance, and Representation: 6. Leadership and governance; 7. Perspectives on representation; Part IV. Advancing Democracy in the United States: 8. Prospects for building coalitions across race and gender.

'Contested Transformation provides a treasure trove of valuable information about men and women of color in public office not found anywhere else. It really is the first of its kind. It no doubt will serve as the baseline reference for many other scholars.' Beth Reingold, Emory University, Atlanta