Who are the poor, and what function do they serve for the larger social, economic and cultural order in the United States? This seminar will address knowledge about poor populations from the late nineteenth to the late twentieth century, with an emphasis on the shifts in capital accumulation, class formation and industrial organization which the poor themselves must engage. Attempts to redress poverty, statist and non-statist, will also be a focus: our readings will combine structural and political analyses with cultural theory which addresses the meaning of work, ideologies of self improvement and community empowerment, public responsibility for the poor, and struggles over relief.
COURSE FORMAT: Discussion Seminar
Level: UG Credit: 1.00 Gen Ed Area & Dept: SBS HIST
Prerequisites: None
Last Updated on MAR-03-1998
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