UCLA Center for the Study of Women

As the Obamas settle into Washington and the excitement of the election finale fades, many pundits, voters, and academics are attempting to make sense of the political debacle that was Election 2008. It was very timely that at this past February’s Thinking Gender conference at UCLA, one set of panelists discussed contemporary American politics, with special attention to the linguistic and visual elements that both the candidates and media manipulated to influence voters. Presenters from the panel entitled, “From Our Doorstep: Contemporary Politics,” moderated by UCLA Professor Juliet Williams, spoke about current issues ranging from the media’s portrayal of the election, to the emergence of neoconservative feminism resulting from Sarah Palin’s nomination, to the confrontation of America’s occupation in Iraq.