PUBLICATIONS
Research
My research endeavors contribute to the advancement of political science's understanding of African American political representation and racial attitudes within American politics. By employing innovative approaches and applying existing frameworks to unexplored domains, I bridge substantial gaps in the political science literature. Simultaneously, my research remains timely and relevant by addressing current events. The implications of my research are significant, particularly in elucidating the challenges African American candidates and politicians face when seeking political office outside majority African American areas. Moreover, my work challenges the notion that exposure to Black leadership among white individuals leads to substantial changes in deeply ingrained racist attitudes. As a Black political scientist, my intellectual passion within and beyond academia stems from a drive to empirically examine the role of race, racial attitudes, and Black political representation in American politics. This desire has shaped my research agenda, which investigates the influence of white racial attitudes on various political choices such as vote choice, candidate evaluations, trust in government, and the Black Lives Matter Movement. Furthermore, my research agenda explores the contours of Black political representation and its impact on white individuals' racial attitudes, policy agendas, policy outcomes, and symbolic representation. I have disseminated my research findings through peer-reviewed articles, manuscripts, encyclopedia entries, opinion pieces, and presentations at regional, national, and international conferences.
Books
Racial Attitudes in America Today: One Nation, Still Divided.
Book Description
With this book, Clarissa Peterson and Emmitt Y. Riley, III dive into how racial attitudes change and inform political decisions.
Peterson and Riley use racial resentment, black blame, and racial identity to investigate the extent to which racial attitudes influence vote choice, evaluations of Black Lives Matter, and attitudes toward public policies. Moving the conversation beyond the study of Blacks and Whites, the authors unpack the potency of racial attitudes among Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites. In doing so, they challenge our understanding of how racial attitudes are central to political decision-making in an environment that is inundated with anti-Blackness. The book reframes discussions of racial attitudes to propose that, like White people, some racial minorities in the United States harbor negative attitudes toward Black people. The authors suggest that while White political attitudes are significantly explained by racial resentment, the overall influence of racial resentment on political decision-making among some racial groups may be mitigated by racial identity.
At a time when White supremacists walk unhooded in the streets of America, Racial Attitudes in America Today is essential reading for educators wanting to fully engage with and understand racial resentment in America and undergraduate students in the fields of political science, sociology, history, and psychology.
Books
The Politics of Anti-Blackness in a Multiracial Democracy. (Manuscript in Progress).
Mississippi Goddamn: The Constrains of Black Political Representation in the Mississippi Delta. (Manuscript in Progress).
Referred Research Articles
Riley, Emmitt, and Peterson, Clarissa. 2020. I can’t Breathe: Assessing the role of Racial Resentment in Feelings towards #BLM. National Review of Black Politics 1: (4) 496 -515. https://doi.org/10.1525/nrbp.2020.1.4.496
Working Papers
Benegal, Salil, and Riley, Emmitt. Understanding vaccine hesitancy across racialized demographics in the United States.
Riley, Emmitt, and Peterson, Clarissa. How Hot is the FIRE: How do Racial Attitudes and Hostile Sexism Affect Evaluations of Vice President Kamala Harris among Whites’?
Riley, Emmitt. “Examining the Relationship Between Linked Fate and Racial Attitudes Towards the Black Lives Matter Movement in the U.S. Across Racial Groups."
Riley, Emmitt and Peterson, Clarissa. “Minority Legislators, Majority Views: Race, Partisanship, and Congressional Job Approval.”
Book Chapters
Riley, Emmitt, Morrison, K.C., Jones, Yolanda. 2023. Two Generations of Mississippi Delta Sisters in the Mayor’s Seat: Race, Gender, and the Representation of Black Interests. In Black Girl Political Magic: Elections and Governance. Edited by Sharon W. Austin. Forthcoming
Book Reviews
A Review of Christopher D. Desante and Candis Watts Smith. (2020). Racial Stasis: The Millennial Generation and the Stagnation of Racial Attitudes in American Politics. University of Chicago Press. Chicago. IL. National Review of Black Politics. https://doi.org/10.1525/nrbp.2021.2.3-4.227
Encyclopedia Entries
Riley, Emmitt. The Southern Strategy. African Americans in the American Political System: An Encyclopedia of African Americans as Voters, Candidates, and Office Holders. ABC-CLIO Greenwood. – Forthcoming.
Riley, Emmitt. Cynthia McKinney. African Americans in the American Political System: An Encyclopedia of African Americans as Voters, Candidates, and Office Holders. ABC-CLIO Greenwood. – Forthcoming.
Opinion Pieces
· Trump’s White House is a step backward in racial progress. The Hill. December 2, 2016.
· Editor’s Column on MVSU Flawed. Greenwood Commonwealth. September 8, 2013.
· Greenwood's Mayor's Race: The Politics of Difference. Greenwood Commonwealth. June 12, 2009.
Dr. Emmitt Y Riley’s Google Scholar Link