Talking about Politics: Informal Groups and Social Identity in American Life

Studies in Communication, Media, and Public Opinion

by Katherine Cramer Walsh

Whether at parties, around the dinner table, or at the office, people talk about politics all the time. Yet while such conversations are a common part of everyday life, political scientists know very little about how they actually work. In Talking about Politics , Katherine Cramer Walsh provides an innovative, intimate study of how ordinary people use informal group discussions to make sense of politics.

Walsh examines how people rely on social identities—their ideas of who "we" are—to come to terms with current events. In Talking about Politics, she shows how political conversation, friendship, and identity evolve together, creating stronger communities and stronger social ties. Political scientists, sociologists, and anyone interested in how politics really works need to read this book.

Genres: Political Science

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Annie Jarman]

I didn't realize how much of this book I was already familiar with from its content being discussed in lectures or other articles. It is the best explanation of how social identities influence political opinion and activity, plus very cool and unique research set up. I really enjoyed it!

[Amber]

Very good book about how people communicate together about political and other matters and how our personal identities direct or partially define our beliefs.
I'm looking more at narrative elements from elites, but this is going to be a reference for my paper. Good stuff.

[Cheryl]

While this is a fascinating book to read just from a public opinion perspective, I find it more valuable as a template for how to conduct research. This is the approach I want to take when I write my dissertation.