How do politicians present their own identities? And why does this matter for representation? 

In this book manuscript in progress, Magda Hinojosa and I explore the ways that political figures invoke and perform identity to communicate membership in, or shared experience with, a social group — a phenomenon we term descriptive presentation. 

The book is organized into two parts. The first part develops the concept of decriptive presentation using vivid, real-world examples from around the globe, with particular attention to how women invoke identity to strengthen their claims to speak and act for women. The second part turns to ballot names in Brazil — an unusually low-cost and far-reaching form of self-presentation — drawing on an original dataset of more than 84,000 candidates to ask who signals identity on the ballot, and what it means for who ultimately wins office.

The book offers a fresh way to understand representation itself. By showing how leaders invoke identity to communicate connection, the book deepens our understanding of the linkages between citizens and the individuals meant to represent them.