OBAMA's PRESIDENTIAL (MIXED) RACE: FRAMING and IDEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS of BLOGS and NEWS Iliana Rucker
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University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository Communication ETDs Electronic Theses and Dissertations 7-1-2011 OBAMA'S PRESIDENTIAL (MIXED) RACE: FRAMING AND IDEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF BLOGS AND NEWS Iliana Rucker Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cj_etds Recommended Citation Rucker, Iliana. "OBAMA'S PRESIDENTIAL (MIXED) RACE: FRAMING AND IDEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF BLOGS AND NEWS." (2011). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cj_etds/23 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Communication ETDs by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. OBAMA’S PRESIDENTIAL (MIXED) RACE: FRAMING AND IDEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF BLOGS AND NEWS by ILIANA P. RUCKER B.A., Communication Studies and African American Studies, Loyola Marymount University, 2005 M.A., Multicultural Communication, DePaul University, 2007 DISSERTATION Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Communication The University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico July 2011 ii DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to all the “combo kids” of this nation. And to one in particular… To my loving husband Christian, who consistently lives the “both/and” and gives me the strength to do the same. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I believe in the African proverb that it takes a village to do . anything really. And a dissertation is no exception. The support that I received during this process continues to astound me. First, I’d like to thank President Barack Obama. Without his political rigor and presence, this dissertation would have no focus. He reinforces the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; just like a village. I would also like to thank the committee. I am blessed to have the support and guidance from four enlightened masters, each skilled in their own craft, who together were there for me each step of the way. Karen Foss, whenever we met, I left your office or home feeling like I could conquer the world. Thank you for being my advocate and cheerleader. Ilia Rodriguez, mi casi tocaya, thank you for your support and unwavering guidance through the process. You have nourished me intellectually and physically. Nancy Lopez, when I first arrived to UNM several people said I should meet you. I’m so glad I took their advice. Not only do you have a keen insight in my topic, but also your pedagogical approach is truly inspiring. This dissertation would not have been possible without the guidance and support of my committee chair, Doctor Janice Schuetz. You are the curandera (healer) of this village; always healing and somehow magically transforming the path so I could continue. Thank you for tirelessly editing this manuscript, patiently reading and re- reading drafts, and always encouraging me to do my best. My village is also made up of sacred sisters: Elizabeth Dickinson, my unofficial mentor; Marianne Leonardi, my diss sis; and Claudia Anguiano, my writing buddy and iv hermana. Each of you has held me up at times when I did not think I could stand on my own. Thank you. The pillars in this village are my family. To my sister Nia, thank you for leading by example and showing me the importance of always thinking critically and challenging assumptions. To Carlos, I will never be able to put into words how much I value you as a brother. You have shown me the power of dedication, loyalty, as well as humor. My parents paved the way and have never stopped helping me achieve my goals. There is no one in this village that I respect more than them. Gracias Papi, for being an example of a dedicated professor, leader, scholar, and person of integrity. No matter how many degrees I earn, you are still the wisest person I know. Thank you for clearing the brush, so that I could easily follow your path. To my Mami, you sacrificed in order to bring me in to this world. You have continued to sacrifice in order to see me succeed in this world. You have shown me how to be a strong woman, a caring friend, and person for others. All that I am I owe to you. To my family, thank you for instilling in me confidence that is disproportionate to my actual talents and abilities. Finally, I am most indebted to and grateful for my love, Christian De Larkin. You are my Griot, my partner, mi corazon, my inspiration, and my foundation. You are the Cliff to my Claire. You have been the constant drumbeat, never letting me lose my rhythm. Thank you for never letting me forget that we reach so high because we stand on the shoulders of giants. v OBAMA’S PRESIDENTIAL (MIXED) RACE: FRAMING AND IDEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF BLOGS AND NEWS By Iliana P. Rucker B.A., Communication Studies and African American Studies, Loyola Marymount University, 2005 M.A., Multicultural Communication, DePaul University, 2007 Ph.D., Communication, University of New Mexico, 2011 ABSTRACT The election of Barack Obama as President of the United States brought a heightened awareness to the role of race and produced speculation about the idealized notion of the achievement of a post-racial United States. This dissertation examined mediated conversations on mixed race identity in response to some of the significant events in the Obama campaign and the first months of the Obama presidency. Specifically, this study examined the ways that newspapers and blogs construct discourses about race, mixed race, and racism. Further, I explored the biological, legal, and social implications as they relate to current constructions of mixed race identity. This dissertation centered the data collection around four pivotal discourses in the Obama era: (1) Obama’s announcement of his presidential candidacy; (2) Obama’s “A More Perfect Union” speech; (3) Obama’s election to the presidency; and (4) the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Gates. The parameters of these pivotal discourses allowed me to focus on what bloggers say about the events and how the newspapers reported them. vi Ideological criticism and framing analysis guided my study on racial identifications and negotiations related to Obama from three newspapers: New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Chicago Sun-Times; as well as four blogs: Mixed Roots, Beige-World, Light-skinned-ed Girl, and Twisted Curlz. Three dominant frames emerged from the news coverage on the four discursive moments: race, dialogue, and history. I define the race frame as stories about the issues concerning race and racism; the dialogue frame as stories about a conversation, specifically at the national level; and the historical frame as stories about historic events. Three frames also emerged from the framing analysis of the blog posts: awareness, personalization, and racism. The awareness frame consists of postings about news and celebrity in mixed race community; the personalization frame as personal postings; and the racism frame as postings relating to issues concerning racism. Ideological criticism facilitated the analysis of the news articles and blogs and allowed me to uncover several ideologies about race and mixed race emerge from these discursive constructions. The newspapers perpetuated the invisibility of Whiteness, the Black and White binary, hybrid heroism, and the erasure of racism ideologies. The preference for Obama as President, the salience of mixed race matters, and promotion of anti-racist work are ideologies in the blogs. While the blogs and news articles are different in format, style and purpose, taken together they give a look at the ongoing conversation that impacts discourses on race, racism, and mixed race. The interpretation of the findings explains how the media I examined reveal the social construction of race, the rhetoric of race, and agenda setting in each of the discursive moments in order to discuss current conceptualizations of race in vii the United States. In addition to an in-depth interpretation of framing and ideological analyses findings, the theoretical and methodological contributions are discussed. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... 1 Personal Perspective ........................................................................................................... 3 Researcher Perspective ................................................................................................... 5 Rationale ......................................................................................................................... 6 Data Collection and Analysis ....................................................................................... 10 News Media. ............................................................................................................. 10 Weblogs. ................................................................................................................... 12 Obama, Race, and Identity............................................................................................ 13 Four Pivotal Moments in Discourses on Mixed Race. ............................................. 14 Assumptions.................................................................................................................. 17 Research Questions....................................................................................................... 22 Key Concepts...................................................................................................................