Isabella Gonçalves, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-106554-7, PDF
Across various contexts, attacks on democratic institutions and pluralist ideals have intensified, and these attacks frequently revolve around identity. Divisive rhetoric targeting marginalized identity groups, including those defined by race, ethnicity, religion, gender and sexual orientation, has become a central strategy in political debates, particularly among far-right leaders (Knüpfer et al., 2024; Kreiss & McGregor, 2024; Norris & Inglehart, 2019). As a result, the foundations of pluralistic democracy and the rights of the diverse identity groups that constitute it are increasingly at risk. Despite the seriousness of this moment, scholarship in political communication has historically failed to treat identity as a central theoretical and empirical dimension.
The field, however, continuously self-reflects and evolves. In recent years, political communication scholars have more explicitly acknowledged the role of group dynamics and social identities in shaping political communication and pressing global challenges, including democratic backsliding (Bennett & Kneuer, 2024; Coles et al., 2025; Lane et al., 2025; McGregor et al., 2025). These links are evident in the dynamics of affective polarization, a process that places groups in growing opposition while heightening in-group favoritism and intensifying out-group animosity (Hameleers, 2019). Such sustained targeting of out-groups deepens social divisions, reduces empathy and shapes attitudes in ways that diminish support for pro-outgroup policies and may even increase acceptance of human rights violations (David, 2023; Esses et al., 2013).
In this regard, centering identity in political communication scholarship better equips the field to understand contemporary political developments and also creates opportunities to de-westernize the field. Incorporating critical perspectives from non-Western contexts, including discursive traditions, understandings of power hierarchization and locally grounded analyses of group relations, can enrich political communication theories and broaden explanatory frameworks. Such incorporation also invites a diversification of methodological approaches. Political Communication has long been criticized for privileging quantitative methods (Gagrčin & Butkowski, 2023) and overlooking qualitative and interpretive traditions, yet these approaches are often essential for examining the complex and dynamic logic that identity cues operate.
Centering identity essentially enables more complex analytical approaches. Incorporating identity centrally allows us to understand how identity cues are embedded in messages, how they relate to the communicator and how they are interpreted by different groups. In this sense, placing identity at the core of our frameworks strengthens analyses at both the level of communication practices and the level of audience effects.
The Issue 32 of the Political Communication Report examines the emerging “Identity Turn” in political communication by exploring evolving theoretical paths and possible empirical implications. The six contributions gathered here demonstrate how integrating identity into political communication frameworks can reshape our understanding of political messages, media effects and offer new paths for democratic defense.
The issue opens with a contribution by Shannon and Coe (2025), who argue that political communication scholarship should adopt a clearer stance on the role of identity. They contend that scholars must identify, name and categorize identity more explicitly in their analyses. For them, democratic erosion is closely connected to divisive identity-based politics, and they call on the field to take a more explicit normative and analytical stand.
Building on this, the next contribution by Boyer (2025) proposes a new framework titled “Political Group Communication,” which offers a systematic approach for examining how different groups communicate about identity and politics. His contribution centers on the development of four archetypical communication patterns that can help guide analyses of group-based communication and its potential effects.
The contribution by Neumann (2025) expands the theoretical discussion by focusing on the dynamics of affective polarization. He demonstrates the importance of maintaining conceptual precision, adopting multi-level perspectives and including a broader range of actors in our analyses. His piece encourages scholars to pay attention not only to elite dynamics but also to reactionary and progressive groups.
Orchard and Santos (2025) offer a fresh perspective on the importance of incorporating identity-based information repertoires into political communication research. In an era of personalized content choices, their contribution invites scholars to consider how identity shapes news usage patterns, moving beyond traditional approaches that focus primarily on partisan alignment.
The issue then turns to an empirical perspective. Meltzer (2025) shows that the framing of groups and the way audiences respond to political messages depend on their intersectional identities. She illustrates that media effects are often conditional on audience predispositions and identity-based experiences, and that the same message may produce different interpretations depending on the recipients’ group affiliations.
To conclude the issue, Rovira-Sancho (2025) reflects on the methodological challenges of capturing identity and shows that non-traditional approaches, such as ethnography, can provide new pathways for political communication research, particularly for understanding how identity is lived, negotiated and performed within social movements.
Finally, this issue also features the Awardee Interviews section. In this edition, three award winners are presented: the Paul Lazarsfeld Best Paper Award, awarded to Jasmine English; the Walter Lippmann Best Article of the Year in the field of Political Communication, awarded to Alessandro Nai, Chiara Valli, Jürgen Maier and Loes Aaldering; and the Timothy E. Cook Best Graduate Student Paper Award Committee, awarded to Rex Weiye Deng.
I hope that this issue brings new ideas and venues of research for the scholars in our field. Happy reading!
References
Bennett, W. L., & Kneuer, M. (2024). Communication and democratic erosion: The rise of illiberal public spheres. European Journal of Communication, 39(2), 177–196. https://doi.org/10.1177/02673231231217378
Boyer, M. M. (2025). Political Group Communication: Social Groups as Active Communicators. Political Communication Report, Winter (2025)(32).
Coles, S. M., Kreiss, D., Lane, D. S., & McGregor, S. C. (2025). Toward a group theory of political communication. Journal of Communication, jqaf049. https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqaf049
David, Y. (2023). The effects of exposure to gendered stereotypes on emotions toward immigrants and attitudes toward refugees. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 49(19), 4828–4849. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2022.2064840
Esses, V. M., Medianu, S., & Lawson, A. S. (2013). Uncertainty, Threat, and the Role of the Media in Promoting the Dehumanization of Immigrants and Refugees: Dehumanization of Immigrants and Refugees. Journal of Social Issues, 69(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12027
Gagrčin, E., & Butkowski, C. (2023). Out of Sight, Out of Mind? Qualitative Methods in Political Communication Research. Political Communication Report, 2023(27). https://doi.org/10.17169/refubium-39042
Hameleers, M. (2019). Putting Our Own People First: The Content and Effects of Online Right-wing Populist Discourse Surrounding the European Refugee Crisis. Mass Communication and Society, 22(6), Article 6. https://doi.org/10.1080/15205436.2019.1655768
Knüpfer, C., Jackson, S. J., & Kreiss, D. (2024). Political Communication Research is Unprepared for the Far Right. Political Communication, 41(6), 1009–1016. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2024.2414268
Kreiss, D., & McGregor, S. C. (2024). A review and provocation: On polarization and platforms. New Media & Society, 26(1), 556–579. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448231161880
Lane, D. S., Chen, M., & Wang, Y. (2025). An “Identity Turn” in political communication?: Testing the relationship between media use and identity alignment in the United States. Journal of Communication, jqaf026. https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqaf026
McGregor, S. C., & Coe, K. (2025). The Centrality of Identity in Political Communication. Political Communication Report, Winter (2025)(32).
McGregor, S. C., Coe, K., Saldaña, M., Griffin, R. A., Chavez-Yenter, D., Huff, M., McDonald, A., Redd Smith, T., White, K. C., Valenzuela, S., & Riles, J. M. (2025). Dialogue on difference: Identity and political communication. Communication Monographs, 92(2), 217–238. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2025.2459648
Meltzer, C. E. (2025). Intersectional Identity and Differential Media Effects. Political Communication Report, Winter (2025)(32).
Neumann, R. (2025). The Role of Identity in Affective Polarization. Political Communication Report, Winter (2025)(32).
Norris, P., & Inglehart, R. (2019). Cultural Backlash: Trump, Brexit, and Authoritarian Populism (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108595841
Orchard, X., & Santos, M. (2025). Information Repertoires in Algorithmic Platforms and Political Identities in Post-Partisan Scenarios. Political Communication Report, Winter (2025)(32).
Rovira Sancho, G. (2025). Becoming “Us”: The Performative Role of Identity in Feminist Political Communication in Mexico. Political Communication Report, Winter (2025)(32).
Author
Isabella Gonçalves is a postdoctoral researcher at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Her work focuses on political communication and journalism studies. Her research examines the structural and discursive factors that contribute to the formation and reinforcement of social divisions, with a particular emphasis on divisive and negative political discourse, the underrepresentation of marginalized groups in political communication and media, and journalism safety. Alongside her research, she serves as editor of the Political Communication Report and manages the websites and social media channels for the Political Communication divisions of APSA and ICA. She is also an active member of the DigiWorld network and the Digit