Over five decades of research has made clear that social networks can have an important impact on our political behavior. Specifically, when we engage in political conversation within these networks we develop connections that increase the likelihood that we will become politically active. Yet, most studies of political behavior focus on individuals, rather than the effects of networks on political behavior. Furthermore, any studies of networks have, by and large, been based on White Americans. Given what we know about the ways in which neighborhood, cultural, friend, and family networks tend to segregate along ethnic and racial lines, the authors of this book argue that we can assume that political networks segregate in much the same way. This book draws on quantitative and qualitative analyses of 4000 White American, African American, Latino, and Asian American people to explore inter and intra-ethnoracial differences in social network composition, size, partisanship, policy attitudes, and homophily in political and civic engagement. The book thus makes three key contributions: 1) it provides, for the first time, detailed comparative analysis of how political networks vary across and within ethnoracial groups; 2) demonstrates how historical differences in partisanship, policy attitudes, and engagement are reflected within groups' social networks; and, 3) reveals the impact that networks can have on individuals' political and civic engagement.

Which get-out-the-vote efforts actually succeed in ethnoracial communities-and why? Analyzing the results from hundreds of original experiments, the authors of this book offer a persuasive new theory to explain why some methods work while others don't. Exploring and comparing a wide variety of efforts targeting ethnoracial voters, Lisa Garcia Bedolla and Melissa R. Michelson present a new theoretical frame-the Social Cognition Model of voting, based on an individual's sense of civic identity-for understanding get-out-the-vote effectiveness. Their book will serve as a useful guide for political practitioners, for it offers concrete strategies to employ in developing future mobilization efforts.

"With depth and nuance, Garcia Bedolla explores how the dynamics of immigration have affected political socialization, attitudes, and practices, as well as levels of political participation among Latinos and Latinas in Los Angeles. In so doing, she has produced an important and insightful contribution to the study of Latina/o politics."--Edwina Barvosa-Carter, Assistant Professor of Social and Political Theory, Department of Chicana/o Studies, UC Santa Barbara
"Drawing upon an impressive number of in-depth interviews, Lisa Garcia Bedolla intriguingly demonstrates how Latino perceptions of social stigma shape collective identities, social networks, and forms of political mobilization. Her respondents engage questions about political marginality and empowerment in complex and nuanced ways that strikingly reveal how class, gender, and generation constitute significant categories of difference among Latinos."--Michael Omi, co-author of "Racial Formation in the United States"
""Fluid Borders" is an important book in the evolving literature on Latino politics and race and politics. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, Garcia Bedolla details the attitudes and actions of two contrasting Latino communities in Los Angeles. Never losing sight of the visible class differences that exist between the two communities, Garcia Bedolla also explores other significant factors such as collective identity, foreign-born status and political socialization in what is truly an insightful intersectional analysis. Through her lucid writing and interviews, Garcia Bedolla provides the reader with depth and texture, greatly enhancing our understanding of Latino politics."--Cathy Cohen, author of"The Boundaries of Blackness: AIDS and the Breakdown of Black Politics"
""Fluid Borders" is a rich and fascinating book, overturning many of the preconceptions social scientists have held about the relationship between economic and linguistic assimilation and political mobilization. It is sure to spark lively debate and further study of its key themes of immigration, class, identity and politics."--Michael Jones-Correa, author of "Between Two Nations: The Political Predicament of Latinos in New York City"