Imagining the American People: Strategies for Building Political Community

This study examined how the American electorate has been described by political campaigners, the mass media, and voters themselves between 1948 and 2000. Using a large (digitized) database of campaign addresses, news stories, and letters to the editor, the authors isolated 2,924 uses of the phrase,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of communication 2003-03, Vol.53 (1), p.138-154
Main Authors: Hart, Roderick P., Jennings, William P., Dixson, Mary J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Americans
Communication
Community
Elections
Electorate
Mass media
Media
Narratives
Political behaviour
Political sociology
Politics
Portrayal
Self-perception
Sociology
U.S.A
USA
Values
Voters
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Summary:This study examined how the American electorate has been described by political campaigners, the mass media, and voters themselves between 1948 and 2000. Using a large (digitized) database of campaign addresses, news stories, and letters to the editor, the authors isolated 2,924 uses of the phrase, “the American people.” By examining these phrases for descriptions of the roles, actions, qualities, and circumstances of the people, and by noting their time orientation and the forces aligned against the electorate, the authors present a picture of the people as described by three different political voices. The article concludes by arguing that examining a people's self‐conception provides a fresh way of understanding their most basic thoughts and values.
ISSN:0021-9916
1460-2466
DOI:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2003.tb03010.x