Melissa Buice
Summary of Research Interests
My primary research interests involve identifying the effects of gender and ethnicity on political participation and political decision-making through social movement outcome studies. In my dissertation, I investigate the causes of indigenous women’s social movement policy impacts in the last two decades. I conduct qualitative historical analysis, using a variety of secondary, primary, and field research data in a theoretically guided comparative case study of three divided time periods in Bolivia’s recent history.
While my interest in social movements in Latin America is a lifelong interest and passion, I am also very interested in other facets of politics, including how gender, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, and other important identities factor into modern political decisions, attitudes, and behavior. Continued social movement research, as well as significant policy research and voting behavior, are intended to capture these interests and contribute to various literatures.
Ethnicity, Gender and Religion in Politics
In a paper with Jana Morgan, I investigate the impact of native religion on attitudes toward women in politics in Latin America. We undertake an extensive review of anthropological, sociological, and political studies of indigenous communities throughout Latin America, examining gender relations within these communities as well as the cultural and religious gender attitudes associated with various regions.
While the diverse indigenous communities throughout Latin America do not lend themselves easily to generalizations, preliminary research indicates that polytheistic religions with female deities, and positions of female leadership within these religions, may have an impact on men’s attitudes toward women as political leaders. In addition, these religions are tied up with other cultural norms that value women’s contributions in society as complementary and necessary, and this is posited to be an important component of gendered attitudes as well.
Women’s Social Movements in Oaxaca
For 180 days in 2006, Oaxaca, Mexico, experienced a tumultuous social movement occupation that shut down businesses and government offices. Activists took over radio and television stations to broadcast their demands to their government. At the helm of this rebellion were indigenous women. The initial case study of this social movement in Oaxaca indicates that indigenous women were in control of many of the right social movement resources that determine success, but that state structural opportunities were closed, and even hostile, to the achievement of their goals.
This initial finding is interesting, and the research would benefit from refinement through collection of additional data from the field, including access to government archives and interviews with activists involved in the uprising. I am also interested in conducting more thorough case study research for focused, comparative case studies of other indigenous women’s social movements.
Gender and Ethnicity and the Informal Political Economy
The informal economy is an under-explored area of political economy. There is a lively debate about the causes and impacts of the informal economy, especially in developing countries, but there is very little known about how informal economic involvement affects a range of political outcomes. When informal economic involvement and ethnic and gendered marginalization occur simultaneously in Latin America, are the consequences continued marginalization of indigenous informal female workers, or are there alternatives in different landscapes that allow them to assume community and national power? What are the necessary dynamics for women who experience triple intersections of discrimination for liberation and empowerment? Finally, what motivates them to political power, and how do newer and existing gender theories fare in explaining the political activity of indigenous women in the informal economy?
I propose to take general findings from my dissertation about gender and ethnicity and social movements further and investigate how indigenous politics, gender politics, and the informal economy interact to affect indigenous women’s placement in the economy, society, and politics. These questions are relevant because of the large number of women involved in informal economy work in Latin America and because of the large size of the informal economy itself. In this project, I will conduct field research in various Latin American women’s organizations, interviewing participants in the informal economy and various political movements to determine the impact of informal economic activity on political participation of indigenous women.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Intersexed (LGBTQI) Voting Behavior and Political Attitudes in the United States
While studies about the LGBTQI community have emerged regarding the impact of sexuality on voting behavior, few have explored the role of region, religion, education and income and whether or not they mitigate the role played by sexual orientation. Whether or not this form of identity competes with income and other potentially competing interests of respondents is an interesting puzzle, since assumptions regarding voting in general indicate contextual factors mentioned above may influence voting behaviors.
My pilot study on this subject consists of logistic analysis on American National Elections Studies data on determinants of voting for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. While the impact of region, religion and education is unclear, I do find that income has a significant negative effect on LGB respondents’ preference for Barack Obama. I plan to undertake a comparative regional study within the U.S. that surveys LGB respondents and assesses such important factors as party identification, attitudes and perceptions, and voting preferences.
Summary of Research Interests
My primary research interests involve identifying the effects of gender and ethnicity on political participation and political decision-making through social movement outcome studies. In my dissertation, I investigate the causes of indigenous women’s social movement policy impacts in the last two decades. I conduct qualitative historical analysis, using a variety of secondary, primary, and field research data in a theoretically guided comparative case study of three divided time periods in Bolivia’s recent history.
While my interest in social movements in Latin America is a lifelong interest and passion, I am also very interested in other facets of politics, including how gender, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, and other important identities factor into modern political decisions, attitudes, and behavior. Continued social movement research, as well as significant policy research and voting behavior, are intended to capture these interests and contribute to various literatures.
Ethnicity, Gender and Religion in Politics
In a paper with Jana Morgan, I investigate the impact of native religion on attitudes toward women in politics in Latin America. We undertake an extensive review of anthropological, sociological, and political studies of indigenous communities throughout Latin America, examining gender relations within these communities as well as the cultural and religious gender attitudes associated with various regions.
While the diverse indigenous communities throughout Latin America do not lend themselves easily to generalizations, preliminary research indicates that polytheistic religions with female deities, and positions of female leadership within these religions, may have an impact on men’s attitudes toward women as political leaders. In addition, these religions are tied up with other cultural norms that value women’s contributions in society as complementary and necessary, and this is posited to be an important component of gendered attitudes as well.
Women’s Social Movements in Oaxaca
For 180 days in 2006, Oaxaca, Mexico, experienced a tumultuous social movement occupation that shut down businesses and government offices. Activists took over radio and television stations to broadcast their demands to their government. At the helm of this rebellion were indigenous women. The initial case study of this social movement in Oaxaca indicates that indigenous women were in control of many of the right social movement resources that determine success, but that state structural opportunities were closed, and even hostile, to the achievement of their goals.
This initial finding is interesting, and the research would benefit from refinement through collection of additional data from the field, including access to government archives and interviews with activists involved in the uprising. I am also interested in conducting more thorough case study research for focused, comparative case studies of other indigenous women’s social movements.
Gender and Ethnicity and the Informal Political Economy
The informal economy is an under-explored area of political economy. There is a lively debate about the causes and impacts of the informal economy, especially in developing countries, but there is very little known about how informal economic involvement affects a range of political outcomes. When informal economic involvement and ethnic and gendered marginalization occur simultaneously in Latin America, are the consequences continued marginalization of indigenous informal female workers, or are there alternatives in different landscapes that allow them to assume community and national power? What are the necessary dynamics for women who experience triple intersections of discrimination for liberation and empowerment? Finally, what motivates them to political power, and how do newer and existing gender theories fare in explaining the political activity of indigenous women in the informal economy?
I propose to take general findings from my dissertation about gender and ethnicity and social movements further and investigate how indigenous politics, gender politics, and the informal economy interact to affect indigenous women’s placement in the economy, society, and politics. These questions are relevant because of the large number of women involved in informal economy work in Latin America and because of the large size of the informal economy itself. In this project, I will conduct field research in various Latin American women’s organizations, interviewing participants in the informal economy and various political movements to determine the impact of informal economic activity on political participation of indigenous women.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Intersexed (LGBTQI) Voting Behavior and Political Attitudes in the United States
While studies about the LGBTQI community have emerged regarding the impact of sexuality on voting behavior, few have explored the role of region, religion, education and income and whether or not they mitigate the role played by sexual orientation. Whether or not this form of identity competes with income and other potentially competing interests of respondents is an interesting puzzle, since assumptions regarding voting in general indicate contextual factors mentioned above may influence voting behaviors.
My pilot study on this subject consists of logistic analysis on American National Elections Studies data on determinants of voting for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. While the impact of region, religion and education is unclear, I do find that income has a significant negative effect on LGB respondents’ preference for Barack Obama. I plan to undertake a comparative regional study within the U.S. that surveys LGB respondents and assesses such important factors as party identification, attitudes and perceptions, and voting preferences.