Description: Why are political conversations uncomfortable for so many people? The current literature focuses on the structure of people's discussion networks and the frequency with which they talk about politics, but not the dynamics of the conversations themselves. In What Goes Without Saying, Taylor N. Carlson and Jaime E. Settle investigate how Americans navigate these discussions in their daily lives, with particular attention to the decision-making process around when and how to broach politics. The authors use a multi-methods approach to unpack what they call the 4D Framework of political conversation: identifying the ways that people detect others' views, decide whether to talk, discuss their opinions honestly--or not, and determine whether they will repeat the experience in the future. In developing a framework for studying and explaining political discussion as a social process, What Goes Without Saying will set the agenda for research in political science, psychology, communication, and sociology for decades to come.
Brief description: Taylor N. Carlson is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis. She is the author of Talking Politics: Political Discussion Networks and the New American Electorate (2020). She has received numerous awards for her research.
Review Quotes: 'Carlson and Settle bring together several strands of research that have been percolating over the past decade or so; then, they advance our state of understanding by bringing these strands into conversation with one another. With their 4D Framework, a more coherent and ultimately useful perspective on informal political discussion has emerged. These insights highlight new questions and directions for research and raise a cautionary note about broad and undifferentiated calls for more talk as a salve for American democracy.' William P. 'Chip' Eveland Jr., Professor of Communication, The Ohio State University