Claudia Strauss is Professor of Anthropology at Pitzer College. She is the author of A Cognitive Theory of Cultural Meaning (Cambridge University Press, 1997) with Naomi Quinn and co-editor of Human Motives and Cognitive Models (Cambridge University Press, 1992).
Part I. Overview: 1. Conventional discourses, public opinion, and political culture
2. Analysis of conventional discourses: backgrounds and methods
3. Conventional discourses and personal lives
Part II. Immigration: 4. Public opinion about immigration
5. 'Too many immigrants' and discourses about economic costs and benefits
6. Discourses about legality, illegality, and national security
7. Discourses about immigration and American culture
8. Discourses about immigration causes and contexts
Part III. Social Welfare Programs: 9. Public opinion about social welfare programs
10. Discourses about limitations of government programs
11. Discourses about personal responsibility and benefits for the deserving
12. Discourses about caring for self, family, community, and nation
13. Discourses about social causes of economic insecurity
Part IV. Conclusion: 14. Questions and implications.
