Katherine J. Cramer (born 1970) is an American

political scientist Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

. She is a professor in the political science department at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

and director of the Morgridge Center for Public Service.

Career

Cramer is the author of ''The Politics of Resentment'', a book based on almost a decade of studying political attitudes in rural

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

through

ethnography Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...

. She argues that "rural consciousness" acts as a basis for rural residents to form a social identity and as a lens through which they "think about themselves, other people, and public affairs." According to Cramer, a driver of political sentiment in rural Wisconsin is the beliefs among voters that "I’m not getting my fair share of power, stuff or respect" and "All the decisions are made in

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

and

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

and nobody’s listening to us". Cramer has found this "rural resentment" comes partly from changes to rural life and partly from massive changes in the economy. Rural people, she asserts, feel overlooked and disrespected by elites; they work hard, yet they see the "good life" is passing them by, which is one reason why they voted for

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

in the 2016 election.

Publications

:''Some published under the name Katherine Cramer Walsh'' * * *

Honors and awards

* Heinz I. Eulau Award - 2018 *

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

Fellow - 2019

References

External links

Interview with Cramer
on ''The Politics of Resentment'' (Wisconsin Public Television, video with transcript)
Interview with Cramer
following the 2020 election (PBS, video) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cramer, Kathy Living people Date of birth missing (living people) University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty American women political scientists American political scientists Writers from Wisconsin 1970 births American women non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American women writers People from Grafton, Wisconsin American women academics Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences