2007 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

53-12 ISLAM IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE
Room Parlor H, 6 th Floor, Thur at 9:50 am
Chair Emilia Powell, Georgia Southern University
Paper The Place Attributed to Islam in Turkish Nationalism on the
Party Level
Alper Bilgili, Sabanci University
Nazli C. Sahin, Sabanci University
Overview: The place of Islam in Turkish nationalism is not simple
to search for. While Islam has always been a crucial aspect of this
feeling of nationalism, the official Republican ideology has tried
hard not to save any place for it within this ideology.
Paper Religiopolitical Issues and Participation in Contemporary
Indonesia
Jennifer L. Epley, University of Michigan
Overview: This paper will examine the relationship between
individual-level political participation and different aspects of
Muslim religious identity in Indonesia during the post-1998
period. Supporting data comes from a mixed-methods approach.
Paper When Does Religion Become Politically Salient in Sub-
Saharan Africa?
John F. McCauley, University of California, Los Angeles
Overview: This study explores the conditions that make religion
an important cleavage in African politics. Religious segregation
along geographical lines, rather than individual religiosity or
choice of religion, emerges as the critical factor.
Disc. Rebekah Tromble, Indiana University
Emilia Powell, Georgia Southern University
59-2 PUBLIC OPINION IN THE CONTEXT OF SEXUAL
ORIENTATION
Room Suite 9-128, 9 th Floor, Thur at 9:50 am
Chair Patrick J. Egan, Princeton University
Paper Contact, Context, and Support for an Anti-Gay Rights
Referendum
Jay Barth, Hendrix College
Scott H. Huffmon, Winthrop University
Marvin Overby, University of Missouri
Overview: Our study examines how various forms of personal
contact and community context affect public attitudes toward the
2006 South Carolina referendum to alter the state constitution to
ban same sex marriage.
Paper Crisis Management in the Mark Foley Scandal
Robert L. Dion, University of Evansville
Overview: Just before the 2006 elections, the Foley scandal
caused a media feeding frenzy. This paper examines the content
of that coverage by studying the language and frames used by
journalists and political elites in defining this unfolding issue.
Paper Public Opinion on Homosexuality: Differences in Behavior vs.
Identity
Shawn R. Schulenberg, University of California, Riverside
Overview: Public opinion on homosexuality has gradually
warmed, but differences may exist depending on the questions
framing. Do responses differ between the person vs. the sex act?
This paper will examine this question, its causes, and implications.
Paper Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Torture in the Global War
on Terror
Janelle Wong, University of Southern California
Dara Strolovitch, University of Minnesota
Overview: This paper examines public attitudes toward the use of
sexual humiliation in the interrogation methods deployed in the
Global War on Terror (GWOT).
Disc. Doug Strand, University of California, Berkeley
63-2 IMMIGRATION AND LATINO POLITICS
Room Parlor J, 6 th Floor, Thur at 9:50 am
Chair Rene R. Rocha, University of Iowa
Paper Militarization and the Criminalization of Transnational
Migrants in the U.S., Mexico and El Salvador
Alfonso Gonzales, University of California, Los Angeles
Overview: Paper presents a case of study of state-elite discourse
on immigrants during the debate over H.R. 4437. Case study is
part of a larger dissertation project that looks at how state
rationalize the production of violence against transnational
(im)migrants.
Paper Immigrant and U.S. Born Latino Empowerment
Jose D. Villalobos, Texas A&M University
Overview: I consider whether immigrants feel less empowered
than their U.S. born compatriots because of a disconnect in
representational linkages or if group dynamics help to decrease
feelings of alienation.
Paper Mexican Immigrants' Political Suitcases: Partisanship and
Democratic Values
Sergio C. Wals, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Overview: Using survey data, this paper tests the imported
socialization theory (Wals 2006) on Mexican immigrants. It shows
that Mexican party ID and prior views on democracy are key to
understanding these immigrants' political behavior once in the US.
Disc. Julia Albarracin, Western Illinois University
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