My research is situated within the subfield of American Politics and Race with a focus on public opinion, public policy and political behavior. The primary research methods that I use to answer my research questions are surveys, interviews and focus groups.
I have three ongoing research agendas:
1.) sports and politics
2.) Blacks, Latinos, and the criminal justice system
3.) Latina/o/x political behavior in the South
Invited Talks (in the last five years)
Books
Partners or Rivals? Power and Latino, Black and White Relations in the 21st Century (2015)
My book, Partners or Rivals?, was published by University of Virginia Press. The book relies on national survey data and focus group data to examine interracial attitudes among Latinos, Whites and Blacks in the U.S. Partners or Rivals? won the 2015 American Political Science Association REP Section's Best Book Award on Inter-Race Relations in the United States.
*The book is available for purchase on the University of Virginia Press website here and on Amazon here.
**Check out my interview in which I discuss this book on the New Book Network podcast here.
Check out my Google Scholar profile for more information about my publications.
Edited Journal Symposia
2.) White, Ismail and Betina Cutaia Wilkinson, eds. 2020. "A Symposium on Power, Discrimination and Identity in the
U.S.." PS: Political Science and Politics..
1.) Wilkinson, Betina Cutaia, ed. 2018. "Stepping Back or Stepping Out? Latinos, Immigration and the 2016 Presidential
Election." PS: Political Science and Politics 52(1): 277-308.
Journal Articles
10.) "Racial Disenchantment? Understanding the Relationship between Race, Skin Tone, and Perceptions of Corruption
in the U.S." with Justin Esarey and Addison Collins (WFU undergraduate student) Forthcoming at National Review of
Black Politics
9.) "Sports Activism and the Racial Status Quo: Disentangling Individuals' Conceptualization and Perceptions" with Lisa
Kiang, Elizabeth Seagroves (WFU undergraduate student, UNC Chapel Hill graduate student). Politics, Groups and
Identities.. https://doi.org/10.1080/21565503.2023.2297308. 2024.
*Study featured in this London School of Economics US Centre Blog Post
8.) "Sports Elites, Counter-Stereotypical Statements, and Immigration Attitudes" with Melissa R. Michelson and Alexis
Webster (undergraduate student). Social Science Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.13065, 2021.
7.) “The Markings of Linked Fate among Asian Americans and Latinxs.” with Lisa Kiang and Linda Juang. Cultural
Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology.. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000482. 2021
6.) “Getting Pushed Back Further in Line? Southern African American Attitudes toward Immigration and Immigrants.”
(with Natasha Bingham) PS: Political Science and Politics 49(2): 221-227. 2016.
*Study featured in this London School of Economics US Centre Blog Post
5.) “Skin Tone and Individuals' Perceptions of Commonality and Competition with Other Racial and Ethnic Groups"
(with Jim Garand and Johanna Dunaway) Race and Social Problems 7(3): 181-197. 2015.
4.) “Perceptions of Commonality and Latino-White, Latino-Black Relations in a Multiethnic U.S.” Political Research
Quarterly 67(4): 905-916. 2014.
3.) "Taking a New Perspective to Latino Attitudes: Examining the Effects of Skin Tone on Latino Perceptions of
Commonality with Whites and Blacks." (with undergraduate student Emily Earle) American Politics Research 41(5):
783-818. 2013.
2.) “Rebuilding or Intruding? Media Coverage and Public Opinion on Latino Immigration in Post-Katrina Louisiana.”
(with Johanna Dunaway, Kirby Goidel, Ashley Kirzinger) Social Science Quarterly 92(4):917-937. 2011.
1.) “Divided Loyalties? Understanding Variation in Latinos’ Attitudes toward Immigration in the United States.” (with
Stella Rouse and Jim Garand) Social Science Quarterly 91(3):856-882. 2010.
Book Chapters
4.) “Putting a Band-Aid over a Bullet Wound? Black and Latinx Educational Experiences during a Pandemic.” with
Dani Parker Moore, Olivia Field (undergraduate student) and Alondra Ramirez (undergraduate student) in Sharon A.
Navarro and Samantha L. Hernandez, Eds. The Color of Covid -19: The Racial Inequality of Marginalized
Communities published by Routledge Press in June 2022. The book is
available for purchase here.
3.) "The 2016 Latino Vote in North Carolina" in Gabriel R. Sanchez, Luis R. Fraga, and Ricardo Ramírez, Eds. Latinos and
the 2016 Election:
Latino Resistance and the Election of Donald Trump published by Michigan State University Press in May 2020. The
book is available for purchase here.
2.) “Broad Patterns" with Will Walldorf, Sara Dahill-Brown, and Sandeep Mazumder in To Shape Our World for Good:
Master Narratives and Regime Change in U.S. Foreign Policy, 1900-2011 published by Cornell University Press in
April 2019. The book is available for purchase here.
1.) “North Carolina Latinos: An Emerging, Influential Electorate in the South”, a book chapter in The Pivotal Role of the
Latino Electorate in the 2012 Election published by Michigan State University Press in June 2015. The book is
available for purchase here.
Other Publications
7.) “Best Practices in Diversifying in Political Science.” with Melissa Michelson, PS: Political Science and Politics. 1-4.
doi:10.1017/S1049096522000804. 2022.
6.) "The Shadow Bargainers" with Ronald Wright and Jennifer Roberts, law review article in Cardozo Law
Review. 2021.
5.) "Introduction and Commentary" for "A Symposium on Power, Discrimination and Identity." PS: Political Science and
Politics 53(4): 665-669. 2020.
4.) "White-Latino Relations" (with undergraduate student Liz Torres-Ramirez), bibliography published by Oxford
Bibliographies in Latino Studies. (Ed. Ilan Stavans) Oxford University Press, 2019.
3.) "Introduction and Commentary" for Symposium "Stepping Back or Stepping Out? Latinos, Immigration and the 2016
Presidential Election." PS: Political Science and Politics 52(1):277-281. 2018.
2.) Book Review of The New Americans? Immigration, Protest, and the Politics of Latino Identity (2017, University of
Kansas Press) by Heather Silber Mohamed, Journal of Race, Ethnicity and Politics
1.) "Hispanic Americans" The Oxford Companion to American Politics. Edited by David Coates and Kathy Smith. Oxford
University Press, pp.489-495. 2012.
Works in Progress:
4.) Race and crime study on Black and Latinx experiences with the criminal justice system (with Gabe Sanchez, Edward
Vargas and Jessica Lynn Stewart)
3.) Sports elites and perspectives on Black Lives Matter topics with Lisa Kiang and Indy Cousin (WFU undergraduate
student)
2.) Terrorizing Latinas? Examining Latinas' Perspectives toward and Engagement with Local Police, ICE and the Criminal
Justice System with Tess Wise and Geraldine Guzman (WFU undergraduate student)
1.) Sports Elites and Attitudes toward Racial Justice Topics book project with Lisa Kiang
Research Awards:
Research Training:
I have three ongoing research agendas:
1.) sports and politics
2.) Blacks, Latinos, and the criminal justice system
3.) Latina/o/x political behavior in the South
Invited Talks (in the last five years)
- "Recruiting and Retaining Faculty from Minoritized Communities" at the Southern Regional Education Board's 2022 Institute on Teaching and Mentoring (October 2022)
- "Mentoring: Understanding It and Uncovering Best Practices" address at the Spring 2022 Southern Regional Education Board Student Success Advisory Council Meeting (May 2022)
- "Race, Identity and Elections: A Presentation by Dr. Betina Cutaia Wilkinson," keynote address at the 2022 Pi Sigma Alpha Virtual Conference (March 2022)
- “Strategies to Transform Departmental and Institutional Practices” as part of the Implicit Bias and Faculty Hiring Short Course, American Political Science Association Virtual Meeting (September 2020)
- "Pushing Back Against Prejudice: An Examination of the Effects of Sports Elite Rhetoric and In-Group Identity on Individuals' Immigration Policy Stances" paper presented at the UNC American Politics Research Seminar (September 2019)
Books
Partners or Rivals? Power and Latino, Black and White Relations in the 21st Century (2015)
My book, Partners or Rivals?, was published by University of Virginia Press. The book relies on national survey data and focus group data to examine interracial attitudes among Latinos, Whites and Blacks in the U.S. Partners or Rivals? won the 2015 American Political Science Association REP Section's Best Book Award on Inter-Race Relations in the United States.
*The book is available for purchase on the University of Virginia Press website here and on Amazon here.
**Check out my interview in which I discuss this book on the New Book Network podcast here.
Check out my Google Scholar profile for more information about my publications.
Edited Journal Symposia
2.) White, Ismail and Betina Cutaia Wilkinson, eds. 2020. "A Symposium on Power, Discrimination and Identity in the
U.S.." PS: Political Science and Politics..
1.) Wilkinson, Betina Cutaia, ed. 2018. "Stepping Back or Stepping Out? Latinos, Immigration and the 2016 Presidential
Election." PS: Political Science and Politics 52(1): 277-308.
Journal Articles
10.) "Racial Disenchantment? Understanding the Relationship between Race, Skin Tone, and Perceptions of Corruption
in the U.S." with Justin Esarey and Addison Collins (WFU undergraduate student) Forthcoming at National Review of
Black Politics
9.) "Sports Activism and the Racial Status Quo: Disentangling Individuals' Conceptualization and Perceptions" with Lisa
Kiang, Elizabeth Seagroves (WFU undergraduate student, UNC Chapel Hill graduate student). Politics, Groups and
Identities.. https://doi.org/10.1080/21565503.2023.2297308. 2024.
*Study featured in this London School of Economics US Centre Blog Post
8.) "Sports Elites, Counter-Stereotypical Statements, and Immigration Attitudes" with Melissa R. Michelson and Alexis
Webster (undergraduate student). Social Science Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.13065, 2021.
7.) “The Markings of Linked Fate among Asian Americans and Latinxs.” with Lisa Kiang and Linda Juang. Cultural
Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology.. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000482. 2021
6.) “Getting Pushed Back Further in Line? Southern African American Attitudes toward Immigration and Immigrants.”
(with Natasha Bingham) PS: Political Science and Politics 49(2): 221-227. 2016.
*Study featured in this London School of Economics US Centre Blog Post
5.) “Skin Tone and Individuals' Perceptions of Commonality and Competition with Other Racial and Ethnic Groups"
(with Jim Garand and Johanna Dunaway) Race and Social Problems 7(3): 181-197. 2015.
4.) “Perceptions of Commonality and Latino-White, Latino-Black Relations in a Multiethnic U.S.” Political Research
Quarterly 67(4): 905-916. 2014.
3.) "Taking a New Perspective to Latino Attitudes: Examining the Effects of Skin Tone on Latino Perceptions of
Commonality with Whites and Blacks." (with undergraduate student Emily Earle) American Politics Research 41(5):
783-818. 2013.
2.) “Rebuilding or Intruding? Media Coverage and Public Opinion on Latino Immigration in Post-Katrina Louisiana.”
(with Johanna Dunaway, Kirby Goidel, Ashley Kirzinger) Social Science Quarterly 92(4):917-937. 2011.
1.) “Divided Loyalties? Understanding Variation in Latinos’ Attitudes toward Immigration in the United States.” (with
Stella Rouse and Jim Garand) Social Science Quarterly 91(3):856-882. 2010.
Book Chapters
4.) “Putting a Band-Aid over a Bullet Wound? Black and Latinx Educational Experiences during a Pandemic.” with
Dani Parker Moore, Olivia Field (undergraduate student) and Alondra Ramirez (undergraduate student) in Sharon A.
Navarro and Samantha L. Hernandez, Eds. The Color of Covid -19: The Racial Inequality of Marginalized
Communities published by Routledge Press in June 2022. The book is
available for purchase here.
3.) "The 2016 Latino Vote in North Carolina" in Gabriel R. Sanchez, Luis R. Fraga, and Ricardo Ramírez, Eds. Latinos and
the 2016 Election:
Latino Resistance and the Election of Donald Trump published by Michigan State University Press in May 2020. The
book is available for purchase here.
2.) “Broad Patterns" with Will Walldorf, Sara Dahill-Brown, and Sandeep Mazumder in To Shape Our World for Good:
Master Narratives and Regime Change in U.S. Foreign Policy, 1900-2011 published by Cornell University Press in
April 2019. The book is available for purchase here.
1.) “North Carolina Latinos: An Emerging, Influential Electorate in the South”, a book chapter in The Pivotal Role of the
Latino Electorate in the 2012 Election published by Michigan State University Press in June 2015. The book is
available for purchase here.
Other Publications
7.) “Best Practices in Diversifying in Political Science.” with Melissa Michelson, PS: Political Science and Politics. 1-4.
doi:10.1017/S1049096522000804. 2022.
6.) "The Shadow Bargainers" with Ronald Wright and Jennifer Roberts, law review article in Cardozo Law
Review. 2021.
5.) "Introduction and Commentary" for "A Symposium on Power, Discrimination and Identity." PS: Political Science and
Politics 53(4): 665-669. 2020.
4.) "White-Latino Relations" (with undergraduate student Liz Torres-Ramirez), bibliography published by Oxford
Bibliographies in Latino Studies. (Ed. Ilan Stavans) Oxford University Press, 2019.
3.) "Introduction and Commentary" for Symposium "Stepping Back or Stepping Out? Latinos, Immigration and the 2016
Presidential Election." PS: Political Science and Politics 52(1):277-281. 2018.
2.) Book Review of The New Americans? Immigration, Protest, and the Politics of Latino Identity (2017, University of
Kansas Press) by Heather Silber Mohamed, Journal of Race, Ethnicity and Politics
1.) "Hispanic Americans" The Oxford Companion to American Politics. Edited by David Coates and Kathy Smith. Oxford
University Press, pp.489-495. 2012.
Works in Progress:
4.) Race and crime study on Black and Latinx experiences with the criminal justice system (with Gabe Sanchez, Edward
Vargas and Jessica Lynn Stewart)
3.) Sports elites and perspectives on Black Lives Matter topics with Lisa Kiang and Indy Cousin (WFU undergraduate
student)
2.) Terrorizing Latinas? Examining Latinas' Perspectives toward and Engagement with Local Police, ICE and the Criminal
Justice System with Tess Wise and Geraldine Guzman (WFU undergraduate student)
1.) Sports Elites and Attitudes toward Racial Justice Topics book project with Lisa Kiang
Research Awards:
- Latino Center for Leadership Development and Southern Methodist University Grant for the project titled "The Criminal Justice System and Latinos in the South" ($9,747.00)
- URECA-X Grant, Wake Forest University
- Pilot Research Grant, Wake Forest University
- Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Research Fund, Wake Forest University
- Dean’s Office Fund for Faculty Development Award, Wake Forest University
- CRADLE fellowship (to learn how to develop competitive external proposals to support multiyear research projects), Wake Forest University
Research Training:
- ICPSR Mixed Methods Workshop (Approaches for Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Research Strategies) June 2013, UNC Chapel Hill.
- Duke University’s "Enhancing Research: A Workshop for Political Scientists from Underrepresented Groups" February 2011, Durham, North Carolina.