Unhyphenated America in Transition - Political Geography, Ethnic Identity, and the Unique Partisan Realignment of Appalachia and the Upper South

About the author

Brian Arbour is Associate Professor of Political Science at John Jay College. He studies campaigns and elections and political parties, and is the author of Candidate-Centered Campaigns: Political Messages, Winning Personalities, and Personal Appeals (2014).

Summary

The upper South – starting in the Appalachian Mountains and stretching west across the Ohio and Tennessee River Valleys and into Arkansas – has its own culture and history distinct from the Deep South. It also has its own distinct political realignment that has pushed the region toward the right starting in the mid-1990s.
The region is defined by concentrations of unhyphenated Americans – whites who trace their ethnicity not to the European country of their ancestors, but directly to the United States. Examining counties with concentrations of these American ethnic identifiers, the book uses election data to show the region’s rapid shift to the Republicans. Public opinion data shows the region was pushed to the Republicans by its conservatism on issues such as abortion, guns, and the environment, and the increased national salience of racial issues prompted by the emergence of Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

Product details

• Authors: Brian Arbour
• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 15.10.2025
• EAN: 9783111615455
• ISBN: 978-3-11-161545-5
• No. of pages: 196
• Weight: 326 g
• Illustrations: 12 b/w and 16 col. ill., 24 b/w and 24 col. tbl., Tabellen, schwarz-weiss, Tabellen, farbig, schwarz-weiss Illustrationen, farbige Illustrationen
• Series: The De Gruyter Series in American Political Geography
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; Political Parties, American Studies, republican party, Campaigns & Elections, American Democracy, Conservative Politics