The Social and Political Implications of the 1984 Jesse Jackson Presidential Campaign

by Lorenzo Morris

Overview

Part of the Praeger Series in Political Economy, this volume assembles prominent political scientists, sociologists, economists, historians, anthropologists, theologians, and jourbanalists to examine the intricacies of the ground-breaking 1984 campaign for president by Jesse Jackson. As no other studies have done, this book explores the social and cultural context of the evolving political process in which the campaign took shape. The contributors study the campaign in a broad social and cultural context that helps to explain the campaign's strengths and weaknesses. The book's interdisciplinary approach reveals the economic, sociological, and political ramifications of the first serious run for the presidency by an African-American. Students and scholars of political science, sociology, anthropology, and communications, as well as professionals in the fields of jourbanalism, public relations, and campaign consulting, will find this book enlightening reading.

The volume explores a broad range of issues in terms of how they relate to Jackson's historical run for president, including: racial equity questions; educational and economic opportunity for minorities; family stability in minority communities; community development; and Third World politics. The contributors come to a number of conclusions about the future of politics for minority candidates. Some suggest that future campaigns by Jackson, or any minority candidate, will run into more difficulty inside the political parties than did Jackson's. Others suggest that the 1984 campaign represents a radicalization of the black and progressive American voter. The future, according to this provocative book, holds difficulty for both the Democratic and Republican parties as their candidates, whatever race or religion, bridge the ideological gaps dividing the voters.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275927851
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	06/15/1990
Series:	Praeger Series in Political Economy Series
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.75(d)
Lexile:	1600L (what's this?)

About the Author

LORENZO MORRIS is Professor of Political Science at Howard University. He is the author of over 50 articles and 4 books, including Elusive Equality and co-author of The Coalition at the End of the Rainbow.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Mary Frances Berry
The Social and Political Context of the Campaign
The Range and the Limits of the Campaign Politics by Lorenzo Morris
The Issue Politics of the Jesse Jackson Campaign for President in 1984 by Ronald W. Walters
Black Presidential Participation and the Critical Election Theory by Hanes Walton, Jr.
Social and Economic Policy in Party Politics
Race and the Rise and Fall of the Two-Party System by Lorenzo Morris
The Economic Policy of the Jackson Candidacy by Robert S. Browne
The Jesse Jackson Economic Platform of 1984: A Critique and an Alternative by Rodney Green and Finley C. Campbell
Racial Issues and the Campaign's Influence
The Articulation of Black Interests by Black Civil Rights, Professional and Religious Organizations by Dianne M. Pinderhughes
Lessons of the Jackson Campaign: Discursive Strategies of Symbolic Control and Cultural Capitalization by Helen F. Page
Foreign Policy, History, and Issues
The Reverend Jesse Jackson and the Palestinian Question by David A. Coolidge, Jr.
The Jesse Jackson Campaign and U.S. Foreign Policy by Elliott P. Skinner
Political Mobilization, Charisma, and Coalition Building in the Campaing
Building a Credible Image: The Mass Media and Black Students' Impressions of the Jesse Jackson Campaign by Oscar H. Gandy, Jr., and Larry G. Coleman
Anatomy of the Tactical Miscalculation: Jesse Jackson's 1984 Attack on the Runoff Primary System by Joseph P. McCormick, II
Avenues for Black Political Mobilization: The Presidential Campaign of Reverend Jesse Jackson by Lorn S. Foster
From Insurgency Toward Inclusion: The Jackson Campaigns of 1984 and 1988 by Robert C. Smith
Index