[We have the following CFP.]
Poverty in America: The Past, Present, and Future, Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford, 10-11 May 2019
2019 marks fifty-five years since President Lyndon B. Johnson declared an "unconditional War on Poverty" in the United States and one year since President Donald J. Trump's Council of Economic Advisers declared the War on Poverty "largely over and a success". While most would agree America's War on Poverty is "over", few - from either side of politics - would agree that it was won. According to the US Census Bureau, 39.7 million Americans, or 12.3% of the total population, currently live in poverty. More than half of America's children qualify as either "poor or low income". Over 40 million Americans rely on food stamps to provide their meals.
To understand why America is still plagued by the "paradox of poverty amidst plenty" a two-day interdisciplinary conference is being convened at the Rothermere American Institute of the University of Oxford.
We are looking for papers and panels which address America's historical and contemporary relationship with poverty, and why the politics of poverty have proved so intractable. We are particularly interested in papers from the fields of history, politics, and public policy, including practitioners.
Topics may include, but are not limited to reasons for the failure of Johnson's War on Poverty;
how and why poverty disproportionately affects women and people of colour; what new policy approaches could positively impact those living in poverty; the past and future of anti-poverty programs such as Food Stamps, Social Security, and Medicaid; depictions of poverty in the media; whether America's political institutions are capable of effectively reducing poverty; and
why poverty has failed to be a larger issue in American political discourse in recent decades. The keynote address will be delivered by Professor Alice O'Connor (UC Santa Barbara)
Proposals of no more than 250 words per paper, accompanied by a 1-page CV, should be sent to the organisers (Alex Coccia and Mitch Roberson - povertyinamericaconference@gmail.com) no later than 1 March 2019. Proposals for individual papers or full panels are welcome.
Thanks to the generosity of the BAAS/US Embassy Small Grants Programme we will be able to offer some travel bursaries for this event.
