Date: Saturday, August 9

Time: 12:30 PM - 2:10 PM

Session 052: Engaged Sociology and Activism: Crisis Narratives, Lived Experiences and Poverty Abolition
Room: Spire Parlor

Sponsor: Poverty, Class, and Inequality

Organizers: Sara Maani, University of Milan-Bicocca
Tracy L. Vargas, University of North Carolina at Pembroke

Presider &

Discussant: Tracy L. Vargas, University of North Carolina at Pembroke

Description: 

This session critically examines the narratives constructed around crisis, focusing on their impact on our understanding of poverty, class, and inequality. Welcoming scholars, activists, and practitioners, it explores the everyday experiences of poverty, particularly housing struggles, the relationship between work and poverty, and the geographic dimensions of inequality. The session also highlights the work of poverty abolitionists, offering insights from grassroots movements and activist efforts aimed at dismantling the structural roots of economic injustice. Through these discussions, participants aim to challenge dominant crisis narratives and engage in a dialogue that bridges sociological theory and activism, fostering new approaches to eradicating poverty.

Papers:

“Dollar Store Crises, Class Inequality, and Grassroots Groups Challenging Corporate,” Tracy L. Vargas, University of North Carolina at Pembroke

“How Americans Evaluate Fairness in the Housing Market: An Experimental Approach,” Angela He, Stanford University

“Urban Development Induced Displacement in the Case of Addis Ababa City Administration Corridor and River Front Development,” Piniel T. Tessema, Fayyaa Integrated Development Organization

“Why Incarceration?” Stephanie Southworth and Sara Brallier, Coastal Carolina University

“Why So Angry: Understanding Resentment among Majority Populations,” Jeffry Will, University of North Florida Center for Community Initiatives

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