| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, February 27, 2013 | 2:00PM - 4:00PM | Seminar Room 108N, Munk School of Global Affairs 1 Devonshire Place |
Dr. Leal’s primary academic interest is Latino politics. His goal is to understand how Latino individuals and communities shape, and are shaped by, politics in the United States. Because these are complex and multifaceted dynamics, his research spans the fields of public policy, political behavior, and public opinion.
In the public policy field, he is interested in issues with significant implications for Latino communities, particularly immigration and education. Dr. Leal’s political behavior research examines how factors beyond socio-economic status shape Latino electoral participation. His work on public opinion studies the opinions of Latinos themselves as well as how Latinos are viewed by others.
His recent papers examine how Mexican immigrants engage in both U.S. And transnational politics; the influence of ethnic identification (or the lack thereof) on Latino voter turnout; the political meaning of intra-Catholic identities; the testing of conventional wisdoms about Latinos and immigrants; and the distinctiveness of Latino political opinions and behaviors.
Dr. Leal’s interests often lead to interdisciplinary approaches. For instance, his work on how religion, military service, transnationalism, and ethnic identity shape Latino political engagement is influenced by sociological research. In addition, his early work examined the substantive implications of Latino descriptive representation on school boards and how political dynamics affect the adoption and implementation of education programs.
Several additional interests might be categorized as North American politics. He wrote a book about American gubernatorial elections, edited a journal symposium about Canadian politics, and has written about Mexican democratization and U.S.-Mexico border politics. Many political and policy dynamics are difficult to understand within the confines of a single nation, so an understanding of regional and border issues is increasingly important to academics and policymakers alike.
The paper “The Case of the Disappearing Latinos: The Consequences of (Non) Ethnic Identification for Understanding Latino Political Participation in the United States” was presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association in Chicago, IL, 2012.
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