Prof. Dr. David Canon (Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison): "The Role of Race and Religion in the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election"

05.07.2012, 14:15 Uhr, U5/00.24

While there are still those on the right who question whether President Obama is an American citizen and think he is a Muslim, there are also those on the left who accuse him of failing to address problems which the African American community is facing. The Republican nominee, Mitt Romney faces similar challenges -- will Christian conservatives stay home, rather than vote for a Mormon? Both candidates wonder whether fundamentalism, old-fashioned beliefs about race and religion, or irrational fears will shape the decision about who is going to be the most powerful man in the world. David Canon, professor of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, will help sort out the impact of racial and religious politics on the presidential election.

David T. Canon is the Distinguished Chair in Political Science and American Studies at the Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, and professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His teaching and research interests are in American political institutions, especially Congress.  His more specific research interests include racial representation, partisan realignments, political careers, and the historical study of Congress (especially congressional committees).  He is author of Race, Redistricting, and Representation (University of Chicago Press, 1999, winner of the Richard F. Fenno award for the best book on legislative politics), The Dysfunctional Congress?  The Individual Roots of an Institutional Dilemma (with Ken Mayer, 1999),  Actors, Athletes, and Astronauts: Political Amateurs in the U.S. Congress (1990), (with William Bianco, 2011).