A New Perspective on Political Participation and Communication

In this concluding chapter, we discuss some of the major takeaways of the book. We find that signs are an act of both communication and participation, and that the conventional wisdom that signs are primarily campaign tools is misguided. At the same time, displayers and non-displayers ascribe different meanings to signs, and the distinction between in-party and out-party signs is important in determining how signs spread throughout neighborhoods. In turn, once present, those signs can influence perceptions of social space and social interactions, especially in the most intimate social contexts. In addition, we discuss lessons learned with respect to spatial analysis and network analysis and their power, both individually, but especially jointly, to reinvigorate the community studies paradigm. We conclude by reflecting on the yard sign as a political symbol and considering how such symbols are especially powerful in an age of intensely salient and polarized partisan identities.