Respectable racists: fragmented reputations and divided political audiences.
When successful, careerist politicians perform to persuade multiple audiences that they embrace shared values and policies, creating identities appealing to each: fragmented performances create valued fragmented reputations. Problems arise, however, when audiences are connected and adaptive performa...
| Publicado en: | Social Forces Vol. 105; no. 1; pp. 257 - 275 |
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| Autores principales: | , |
| Formato: | Artículo |
| Publicado: |
Oxford University Press / USA
Sep2026
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=196060155&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 196060155 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00377732 SFR jtl: Social Forces issn: 00377732 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Sep2026 vid: 105 iid: 1 pid: 622 pub: Oxford University Press / USA artinfo: ui: 196060155 10.1093/sf/soaf201 ppf: 257 ppct: 18 formats: tig: atl: Respectable racists: fragmented reputations and divided political audiences. aug: au: Fine, Gary Alan Whitlinger, Claire affil: Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA Furman University, Greenville, SC, USA keyword: copyrightHolder:University of North Carolina Chapel Hill copyrightYear:2026 inLanguage:en multiple audiences performance publisher:Oxford University Press reputation sameAs:https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sf/soaf201 Southern politics copyrightHolder:University of North Carolina Chapel Hill copyrightYear:2026 inLanguage:en multiple audiences performance publisher:Oxford University Press reputation sameAs:https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sf/soaf201 Southern politics ab: When successful, careerist politicians perform to persuade multiple audiences that they embrace shared values and policies, creating identities appealing to each: fragmented performances create valued fragmented reputations. Problems arise, however, when audiences are connected and adaptive performances can be undercut. Although a singular, "authentic" persona is the ideal, managing divergent dynamic relationships can be advantageous in navigating a divided political landscape as long as the personas remain separate. Examining how politicians cultivate relationships with distinct audiences, we explore their electoral viability while gaining national influence despite serving groups with conflicting values and policy preferences. Considering fragmented performances in a complex institutional field, we investigate three Southern politicians who acquired extensive influence during the progressive Roosevelt administration, serving FDR, while maintaining appeal among local voters by embracing government-enforced segregation. These senators—Carter Glass of Virginia, Joseph Robinson of Arkansas, and James Byrnes of South Carolina—balanced "home-style" racial politics with ties to Roosevelt. In Byrnes's case, we examine the limits of serving multiple audiences, when audience connections generated insurmountable stigma. We identify three strategic roles embraced by segregationist politicians in their targeted performance, each gaining Roosevelt's favor: the friend (cultivating congeniality), the agent (displaying loyalty), and the confidante (inspiring trust). pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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