Dara Z. Strolovitch
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226777405
- eISBN:
- 9780226777450
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226777450.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
The United States boasts scores of organizations that offer crucial representation for groups that are marginalized in national politics, from women to racial minorities to the poor. This systematic ...
More
The United States boasts scores of organizations that offer crucial representation for groups that are marginalized in national politics, from women to racial minorities to the poor. This systematic study of these organizations explores the challenges and opportunities they face in the new millennium, as waning legal discrimination coincides with increasing political and economic inequalities within the populations they represent. Drawing on data from a survey of 286 organizations and interviews with forty officials, the author finds that groups too often prioritize the interests of their most advantaged members: male rather than female racial minorities, for example, or affluent rather than poor women. But she also finds that many organizations try to remedy this inequity, and concludes by distilling their best practices into a set of principles that she calls affirmative advocacy—a form of representation that aims to overcome the entrenched but often subtle biases against people at the intersection of more than one marginalized group.Less
The United States boasts scores of organizations that offer crucial representation for groups that are marginalized in national politics, from women to racial minorities to the poor. This systematic study of these organizations explores the challenges and opportunities they face in the new millennium, as waning legal discrimination coincides with increasing political and economic inequalities within the populations they represent. Drawing on data from a survey of 286 organizations and interviews with forty officials, the author finds that groups too often prioritize the interests of their most advantaged members: male rather than female racial minorities, for example, or affluent rather than poor women. But she also finds that many organizations try to remedy this inequity, and concludes by distilling their best practices into a set of principles that she calls affirmative advocacy—a form of representation that aims to overcome the entrenched but often subtle biases against people at the intersection of more than one marginalized group.
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226777405
- eISBN:
- 9780226777450
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226777450.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter presents a discussion of the “best practices” associated with high levels of activity on behalf of disadvantaged subgroups and uses these practices to make the case for the principle of ...
More
This chapter presents a discussion of the “best practices” associated with high levels of activity on behalf of disadvantaged subgroups and uses these practices to make the case for the principle of affirmative advocacy. The small proportion of social and economic justice organizations within the overall interest group system and the biases within these organizations themselves powerfully show the tremendous hurdles and disadvantages faced by groups such as women, racial minorities, and low-income people in their quest for representation in national politics. Despite this, the data also reveal that advocacy organizations play a crucial role in combating a broader mobilization of bias in politics and public opinion. The rich potential of coalitions to represent intersectionally disadvantaged subgroups can be maximized. Affirmative advocacy can help maximize the strengths of advocacy organizations and the possibilities of civil society, engaging both of them in efforts to fulfill the promises of democratic representation.Less
This chapter presents a discussion of the “best practices” associated with high levels of activity on behalf of disadvantaged subgroups and uses these practices to make the case for the principle of affirmative advocacy. The small proportion of social and economic justice organizations within the overall interest group system and the biases within these organizations themselves powerfully show the tremendous hurdles and disadvantages faced by groups such as women, racial minorities, and low-income people in their quest for representation in national politics. Despite this, the data also reveal that advocacy organizations play a crucial role in combating a broader mobilization of bias in politics and public opinion. The rich potential of coalitions to represent intersectionally disadvantaged subgroups can be maximized. Affirmative advocacy can help maximize the strengths of advocacy organizations and the possibilities of civil society, engaging both of them in efforts to fulfill the promises of democratic representation.
