10th SAAS CONFERENCE

“The Backyard of the U.S. Mansion: Critical readings of poverty and wealth in the United States”

Alcalá de Henares (Madrid).  April 14-16, 2011

 

16) From Rags to Riches: the Underprivileged and the Affluent in US History

Panel Chair: Antonia Sagredo Santos
Institution: Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
E-mail: asagredo@flog.uned.es; larroyo@flog.uned.es

This panel offers a space for reflection on the historical and cultural dimensions of poverty and wealth and their impact on the American society. The pursuit of prosperity and material happiness has taken place from early times when explorers went to the United States in search of riches. Immigrants and settlers have been pushed from their homeland because of starvation (e. g. The Great Irish Famine), disease, political oppression, religious persecution, overcrowded cities, etc. However, in spite of the allure of the American dream some of the newcomers have remained as part of the underprivileged.

We want to focus our attention on the fact that some groups have had more opportunities than others. Certain ethnic communities have suffered from discrimination, exclusion and prejudice. At the same time, other dominant groups, especially the WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) have maintained a privileged position in U. S. society and have had more chances to become affluent.
We welcome papers that are concerned with the issue of poverty and wealth in the past and present history of the United States of America. One topic to be addressed may be migration since the United States has long symbolised the beginning of a new life for millions of immigrants fleeing poverty and hardship. Another crucial topic is considering periods of economic crisis such as the Great Depression, the oil crisis in the 1970s and the current one and their repercussions on industry, farming, housing, the banking system, etc. Another key topic is ecological poverty and industrial wealth in recent American history. We could study an ethnic minority group (i. e. the black community, the Chicano community, etc) placing our emphasis on the socioeconomic approach. We also invite papers to deal with some of the main policies and legislative measures to overcome all the obstacles that the situation of poverty causes.
We welcome interdisciplinary papers which offer different perspectives on poverty and wealth in American history and culture.

 

 

10th INTERNATIONAL SAAS CONFERENCE
Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, 14-16 April 2011

THE BACKYARD OF THE U.S.A. MANSION: Critical Readings of Poverty and Wealth in the United States

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Please, complete this form and send it, in electronic format (via e-mail), to the Chair of your selected panel. Deadline for sending proposals is October 29, 2010.