Charlton McIlwain
As a researcher, writer and teacher, my primary interests focus broadly on issues of race and media, particularly within the social and political arena. My previous work examines a variety of issues such as: how do political candidates construct and mobilize race-based appeals through language and visual imagery; How does the media represent African American, Latino and other candidates of color when covering their respective electoral campaigns?; How are unconscious attitudes about race and implicit prejudices about people of color expressed in various forms of media such as popular television and film, commercial and political advertising, music or the spoken word? How did racial discourse shape President Barack Obama's historic election and how has his election affected race-related discourse in the time since?
Two co-authored/edited forthcoming books (with Dr. Stephen Maynard Caliendo) address many of these questions. They are: Race Appeal: How Candidates Invoke Race in U.S. Elections (Temple University Press, 2011) & The Routledge Companion to Race & Ethnicity (Routledge, November, 2010). Other scholarly work that address these issues have appeared in the International Journal of Press/Politics, Semiotica, Journal of Black Studies, TAMARA Journal of Critical Postmodern Organizational Science, American Behavioral Scientist, Communication Quarterly, and in chapters in edited volumes.
Together with colleagues in NYU's psychology department, I am following up this most recent work on racial appeals by looking at individuals' psychophysiological responses to race-based message in political ads - relying on various measures of implicit association, heart rate responses, facial muscle movement and other physical responses that demonstrate individuals' cognitive, physical and emotional responses to viewing and hearing race-related political content.
Additionally, I'm starting a new project exploring the social and digital networks of "Race Workers," seeking to understand how various individuals and groups use digital media to influence both the discourse and political work surrounding racial equality and equal opportunity.
I also maintain an interest in issues related to racial socialization, particularly how children and young people get socialized to think, talk (or not) and interact about issues of race, racism, discrimination, etc. I recently launched a new site, KidsOnColor.com, a forum for exchanging childhood stories about racial awareness.
I provide expert commentary on these and many other topics related to race, media and popular culture, race relations, race and political campaigning, and Arican American culture and communication for broadcast and print media, appearing on/in CNN, MSNBC, NPR, Biography Channel, the New York Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Reuters, Associated Press, Le Monde (France) O Globo (Brazil) and many other national and international news outlets.
Degrees Held
- Ph.D.
University of Oklahoma
2001
Communication - M.H.R.
Human Relations, University of Oklahoma
1996
- B.A.
Oklahoma Baptist University
1994
Family Psychology
Publications
- McIlwain, Charlton D. & Caliendo, Stephen M. (Forthcoming, 2011). Race Appeal: How Candidates Invoke Race in U.S. Political Campaigns. Philadelphia: Temple. (link)
- McIlwain, Charlton D. (Forthcoming, 2011). Racialized Media Coverage of Minority Candidates in the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary. American Behavioral Scientist.
- Caliendo, Stephen M. and McIlwain, Charlton D. (Forthcoming, 2010). The Routledge Companion to Race & Ethnicity. New York/London: Routledge. (link)
- McIlwain, Charlton D. (2009). "Leadership, Legitimacy and Public Perceptions Of Barack Obama." In Andra Gillespie (Ed.) African American Politics in the 21st Century. New York: Routledge, 155-172.
- McIlwain, Charlton D. & Caliendo, Stephen M. (2009). "Black Messages, White Messages: The Differential Use of Racial Appeals by Black & White Candidates." Journal of Black Studies, 39, 732-743.
- McIlwain, Charlton D. (2007). "Perceptions of Leadership & the Challenge of Obama's Blackness." Journal of Black Studies, 38:64-74.
- McIlwain, Charlton D. (2007). "Race, Pigskin, and Politics: A Semiotic Analysis of Racial Images in Political Advertising." Semiotica, 167-1/4: 169-192.
- McIlwain, Charlton D. (2007). "Racial Identity, Ideology and the Youth Vote: Observations From the 2004 Presidential Campaign." American Behavioral Scientist, 50: 1231-1238.
- Caliendo, Stephen M. and McIlwain, Charlton D. (2006). "Minority Candidates, Media Framing, and Racial Cues in the 2004 Election." Harvard International Journal of Press Politics, 11: 45-69.
- McIlwain, Charlton D. (2005). When Death Goes Pop: Death, Media and the Remaking of Community. New York: Peter Lang.
- Mcilwain, Charlton D. (2003), Death in Black & White: Death, Ritual & Family Ecology. New Jersey: Hampton Press.
- McIlwain, Charlton D. (Editor; In Press). Philosophy, Method and Cultural Criticism. New Jersey: Hampton Press.
Media
• NPR/ON POINT, African Americans and the GOP, January 16, 2012.
• CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, After Herman Cain, GOP has a Credibility Crisis with Black Voters, December 5, 2011.
• NEWSDAY, Biden comes to NYC to address Sharpton's group, by Michael Frazier, April 6, 2009.
• A & E Network/Biography Channel, Different Strokes, first aired April 1, 2009.
• Le Monde, "Pour les Africains-Américains, l'impensable s'est produit," Propos recueillis par Sylvain Cypel November, 5, 2008.
• NYU Magazine. Race-ing for Office: Are We Closer to Judging a Candidate by the Content of His, or Her, Character? Written by Courtney Martin. Fall, 2008.• CNN, Race in the Presidential Race. With Jason Carroll. October 10, 2008.
• National Public Radio (News & Notes), Inside the Art of Political Speech Writing (Reflections on Obama Acceptance Speech). Roundtable with Susan Estrich & Chriss Winston, September 4, 2008.
• CNN, Hillary v. Michelle Obama. August 29, 2008. With Deborah Feyerick.
• National Public Radio (News & Notes), Inside the Art of Political Speech Writing (Reflections on Obama Acceptance Speech). Roundtable with Susan Estrich & Chriss Winston, August 28, 2008.
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Video Commentary, August 27, 2008. What Will Obama Say About Race Tonight?. Bill Lambrecht.
• New York Post, Video Commentary, July 22, 2008. Satire Gone Too Far? With David Desario.
• CNN, July 11, 2008. Comment on Obama Supprters’ Criticisms Of His Move to the Center. With Deborah Feyrek.• NTV New York, (Japanese Televsion News) April 6, 2008 ???????????????????? [On Obama’s speaking style].
• Rise Up Magazine [appearing in the New York Daily News, Houston Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post & Cincinatti Enquirer]. May 22, 2008. On the political ramifications of the word “articulate” to describe Black candidates.
• Baltimore Examiner, April 28, 2008. “Youth Vote Here to Stay.”
• La República (Perú), March 21, 2008. “La arriesgada apuesta de Obama.”
• Sveriges Radio [Swedish Public Radio], March 6, 2008. Clinton och Obama i ny viktig duell.
• Op-Ed, Newsday, February 25, 2008. “Clinton Veering Close to Stereotypes.”
• Corpus Christi Times-Caller, February 24, 2008. “Rallies Could Make the Difference in a Close Race.”
• O Globo (Brazil), February 10, 2008. “Benevolente com Obama, crítica com Hillary”
• WABC News, December 8, 2007. The impact of Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of Barack Obama.
• WNBC News, September 17, 2007. Interview about racial division in perceptions of O. J. Simpson. Michael Gargiulo.
• Sveriges Radio [Swedish Public Radio], July 28, 2007. Fler unga i USA bryr sig om framtiden. (Interview on Obama/Clinton).
• Santa Fe New Mexican, May 5, 2007. 2008 Presidential Election: Richardson race to gain Hispanic recognition. Barbara Ferry.
• The Gulf Times (Qatar). April 28, 2007. “Democrats Show Courteous Side.”
• Agence France Presse (France). April 27, 2007. “U.S. Democrats Show Courteous Side.”
• New York Journal News, March 5, 2007. Debating the N-Word. Suzan Clarke.
• Toronto National Post, March 2, 2007. New York City Council Bans the N-Word. Mary Vallis.
• WNBC News, February 24, 2007. Border’s Bookstore Segregation of African American Authors. Monica Morales.
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 9, 2007. Obama: Full of hope on a Tough Road. Bill Lambrecht.
• Columbia Journalism Review, January 22, 2007. Forget America, Is Journalism ready for a Black President? Tony Dokoupil.