The New Politics of the Old South: An Introduction to Southern Politics

by Charles S. Bullock III (Editor), Mark Rozell George Mason University (Editor)

Overview

Now in its seventh edition, The New Politics of the Old South is the best and most comprehensive analysis and history of political behaviors and shifting demographics in America’s southern states. Edited by leading scholars Charles S. Bullock III and Mark J. Rozell, this book has been updated through the 2020 elections to provide the most accurate and useful snapshot of the state of southern politics, and the ways in which they have developed over time. The southern electorate is a fascinating, dynamic body politic, and the study of its evolution is paramount to understanding the broader political developments occurring at a national level. While accessible to any interested reader, this edition illuminates the South’s essential and growing role in the study, and the story, of American politics.

This new edition addresses the change in the organization of the states chapters from “Deep South” and “Rim South” to instead “growth states” and “stagnant states," and focuses on how the main divisions among the southern states now impacting their politics are economic and population growth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538154779
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	10/04/2021
Edition description:	Seventh Edition
Pages:	346
Product dimensions:	6.39(w) x 9.34(h) x 1.08(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Charles S. Bullock, III is Richard B. Russell Professor of Political Science and Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Georgia.

Mark J. Rozell is the founding dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: The South Realigns to the GOP: Charles S. Bullock III

2. Growth versus Stagnation and a New Alignment: Charles S. Bullock III

3. African-Americans’ Role in the Politics of the South: Charles S. Bullock III and Mark J. Rozell

Part 1: The Growth States

4. Virginia: Mark J. Rozell

5. Georgia: Charles S. Bullock III

6. North Carolina: J. Michael Bitzer and Charles Prysby

7. Florida: Bruce Anderson, Zachary Baumann, and Matthew Geras

8. Texas: M.V. Hood and Seth McKee

9. South Carolina:Scott E. Buchanan

Part 2: The Stagnant States

10. Louisiana: Michael B. Henderson,Wayne Parent and Huey Perry

11. Mississippi: Stephen D. Shaffer and David Breaux

12. Tennessee: Michael Nelson

13. Alabama: David A. Hughes

14. Arkansas: John C. Davis, Andrew J. Dowdle, Joseph G. Giammo

15. Oklahoma: John D. Rackey and Ronald Keith Gaddie

Editorial Reviews

Fourteen contributions explore the changing face of national and state politics in the southern states. The inroads made by Republicans, the politics of race, and the role of religion are examined in chapters devoted to one-by-one examinations of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Florida, and Texas. Other issues discussed include racial gerrymandering, the impact of the civil rights movement, the transition from a one-party to a two-party system, and the relationship with presidential politics. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews

Bullock and Rozell have produced a unique edited book on southern politics. The editors have pulled together a series of case studies on each of the southern states that highlight how politics has changed in the modern era. The editors suggest that the southern states have diverged away from the rest of the country and have lost their cherished position in the American political system. Themes of religion, race, realignment, and demographic change appear through each unit. The contributors of the various chapters have done an excellent job of highlighting how southern political systems are responding to change in the country and within their own states, particularly with regard to Latinos and Hispanics. The strength of this volume is that each case study is data rich and the analysis is timely.. . .[T]he individual case studies should be required reading for any research project on specific states. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, upper-division undergraduate students, graduate students, and research faculty.

Choice Reviews

The 5th edition of The New Politics of the Old South covers all the "new" trends, data and research while maintaining the high quality of the "old" editions. Bullock and Rozell have brought together another superior team of authors who keep the writing uniformly crisp and the conclusions uniformly thoughtful and thought provoking. The overall theme of the 5th edition is that the Republican and Democratic parties have switched places in the south (although the new GOP is not quite as dominant as the Dixiecrats of old) but that the south, ironically, is still out of step with the rest of the country since Democrats have emerged as the dominant party in most other regions. This book is strongly recommended for students, researchers and the general public alike as it is that rare work that achieves a perfect balance of cutting edge scholarship and accessible, and entertaining, storytelling. V.O. Key would have loved this book – more importantly, so will you!

Aubrey Jewett

Bullock and Rozell have produced a unique edited book on southern politics. The editors have pulled together a series of case studies on each of the southern states that highlight how politics has changed in the modern era. The editors suggest that the southern states have diverged away from the rest of the country and have lost their cherished position in the American political system. Themes of religion, race, realignment, and demographic change appear through each unit. The contributors of the various chapters have done an excellent job of highlighting how southern political systems are responding to change in the country and within their own states, particularly with regard to Latinos and Hispanics. The strength of this volume is that each case study is data rich and the analysis is timely.. . .[T]he individual case studies should be required reading for any research project on specific states. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers, upper-division undergraduate students, graduate students, and research faculty.

Choice

The New Politics of the Old South continues to be one of my favorite books.  It has contributions from some of the very best southern politics scholars, and offers important insights about this vitally important American region.  The state-by-state approach provides a broad understanding of the South, but also identifies key intra-regional differences.

Gibbs Knotts