The Obligation Mosaic: Race and Social Norms in US Political Participation (Chicago Studies in American Politics)

Political participation is a costly activity with little clear payoff. And yet, millions of Americans vote, many donate their time and money to campaigns, and even more spend time becoming informed on issues they will have almost no influence over. Even more puzzling, some racial groups, like African Americans, whose members are least obviously able to bear the costs of participation are more likely to engage than other resource-rich groups, like Asian Americans. What explains this? To answer this question, Allison P. Anoll draws on a rich mix of interviews, surveys, and experiments with the four largest racial groups in America to look at the power of social norms in a community, specifically a civic duty norm, as an explanation for the variation in political participation across different racial and ethnic communities. Beliefs about how best to honor the past and help those in need centrally define concepts of obligation, Anoll finds, but whether these feelings of duty connect to politics depends on each group’s distinct history and continued patterns of racial segregation. Her findings offer a thought-provoking explanation for why some people participate in politics and others do not, while also providing a window into opportunities for change, pointing to how traditionally marginalized groups can be mobilized into the political sphere. "Political participation is a costly activity with little clear payoff. And yet, millions of Americans vote, a smaller number donate their time and money to campaigns, and people spend time becoming informed on issues they will have almost no influence over. Among racial groups, African-Americans participate at relatively high levels compared to whites and Asian-Americans. What explains this? Allison Anoll in Community Calls looks at the power of social norms in a community, specifically a civic duty norm, as an explanation for variation in political participation in different racial and ethnic communities. The content of the norm reflects what it means to be part of the group, and the timing of their incorporation into the American political process. Anoll argues that distinct racial histories and continued racial segregation help explain the strength of the norm in African-American communities where people seek to honor the sacrifices of those who fought for political rights and to help those in need because of racial injustice. The civic duty norm in African American communities includes both "the honoring ancestors norm" and to help those in need or "the helping hands norm." For Black Americans, honoring ancestors means claiming political rights once unavailable to the group and helping those in need means correcting injustices of racial discrimination and poverty through political action. In contrast, among Asian-Americans, both norms are present but work very differently in politics. Asian Americans, who have among the lowest rates of political participation, comply with theses norms in distinctly apolitical ways. They honor ancestors through cultural traditions and state that helping those in need must be balanced with other obligations like family economic stability. Anoll bases her study on a series of interviews and an extensive survey exploring the reasons for political participation or the lack thereof. The interviews establish what the norms mean to people and how they differ from one racial and ethnic group to another. The survey measures how far these norms can be found and what their impact might be on attitudes towards political participation as well as actually doing something (or not)"-- Provided by publisher Many argue that "civic duty" explains why Americans engage in politics, but what does civic duty mean, and does it mean the same thing across communities? Why are people from marginalized social groups often more likely than their more privileged counterparts to participate in high-cost political activities? In The Obligation Mosaic , Allison P. Anoll shows that the obligations that bring people into the political world—or encourage them to stay away—vary systematically by race in the United States, with broad consequences for representation. Drawing on a rich mix of interviews, surveys, and experiments with Asian, Black, Latino, and White Americans, the book uncovers two common norms that centrally define concepts of obligation: honoring ancestors and helping those in need. Whether these norms lead different groups to politics depends on distinct racial histories and continued patterns of segregation. Anoll's findings not only help to explain patterns of participation but also provide a window into opportunities for change, suggesting how activists and parties might better mobilize marginalized citizens. The value and meaning of political participation -- The racialized norms model -- Which norms? -- Finding purpose in the past -- Taking care of those in need -- Norms and national turnout -- Norms and national turnout -- Norms and high-cost participation -- The present and future of participatory social norms