This Minority Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship supports research and training in the social sciences for a minority scholar working in the area of racial politics and ideology. The project hypothesizes that there exists a paradox within black public opinion. On the one hand, blacks overwhelmingly and unwaveringly support the Democratic Party. On the other hand, the percentage of black conservatives has been growing over the last few years. What are the roots of this contradiction? This project seeks to answer this question by exploring the multi-dimensionality of black ideology. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, the Fellow will examine the variance in blacks' expression of conservative ideals, and explore the interaction between black conservatism and group consciousness. In doing so, the project hopes to result in a framework for understanding why blacks remain in a one-party system despite great heterogeneity in political attitudes.
