Papers from the conference will be available online soon. Please be patient, thank you. Co-Sponsored by the Midwest Faculty Seminar.
All adults can vote and all adults can run for elective office.
Empirical investigation reveals, however, that despite the principle of equal political opportunity, certain groups are radically under-represented in legislative bodies. Women, while composing over half the population, have no more than a token presence in most national assemblies. There are also few racial minorities and gay men and lesbians in governing bodies. Keeping the issue of women's access to full political citizenship at its center, this conference will analyze both the theoretical questions concerning the definition of representation and the strategies used by women, by racially-defined groups, and by sexual minorities in their efforts to achieve equity in the political sphere. It will also assess the effectiveness of different forms of political engagement for bringing about social justice.