Topic Resources

Representations of Poverty

Resolution on Poverty and Socioeconomic Status March 25, 2009

2008 [American Psychological Association]: WHEREAS, the income gap between the poor and the rich has continued to increase, with the average income of the poorest fifth of the population down 6% and the average income of the top fifth up 30% over the past 20 years (Bernstein, McNichol, Mishel, & Zahradnik, 2000);

Representing poverty and attacking representations: Perspectives on poverty from social anthropology March 24, 2009

2006 [Journal of Development Studies]: Despite its association with research in communities and countries now considered poor anthropology has remained disengaged from the current poverty agenda. This disengagement is partly explained by the disciplinary starting point of anthropology which explores the processes though which categories come to have salience.

Shocked by Slumdog's poverty porn March 24, 2009

2009 [Times Online]: There are many reasons why you might want to see Slumdog Millionaire - it is directed by the brilliant Danny Boyle, it is set in the sensual feast that is Mumbai and it has won awards for music, directing and acting.

Representing poverty and attacking representations: Perspectives on poverty from social anthropology March 24, 2009

2006 [Journal of Development Studies]: Despite its association with research in communities and countries now considered poor anthropology has remained disengaged from the current poverty agenda. This disengagement is partly explained by the disciplinary starting point of anthropology which explores the processes though which categories come to have salience.

POVERTY PORN There Is Not Much Left To Hide March 24, 2009

[The Statesman]: The argument of these critics is: While poverty undeniably exists, India contains more than just her poverty. Why should a book or a film focus on poverty when there is so much more to discover in India which is positive and beautiful? Such a book or film, the argument continues, presents a slanted and even malicious image of the country.

Poverty Justifies Intellectual Property - Representations of Development and the Case for Intellectual Property in Agriculture March 24, 2009

2009 [American Sociological Association]: Although the effects of global intellectual property (IP) regimes have their most profound effects in the third world, decisions over these regimes are fixed in the first world. The debates preceding these decisions are contested by advocates and critics of IP alike, and both sides mobilize representations of development to buttress their cases.

Exploring the politics of poverty reduction: how are the poorest represented? March 24, 2009

2005 [World Development]: Chronic poverty is an inherently political problem. Its persistence over time reflects its institutionalization within social and political norms and systems, its legitimation within political discourse and by political elites, and the failure of the poorest groups to gain political representation therein.

Representing Poverty: American and European Perspectives March 24, 2009

2008 [German Historical Institute]: This conference invites historians, literary and cultural critics, and journalists to discuss representations of poverty in contemporary North America and Europe. The focus rests on the United States and Germany, two societies marked by – albeit very specific – forms and discourses of poverty in recent years.

Fellows in Conversation: Gavin Jones on Poverty in U.S. Literature March 24, 2009

2008 [Stanford Humanities Center]: Former fellow Gavin Jones (2001-02) is associate professor of English at Stanford and an expert on 19th and 20th century American literature. His most recent publication, American Hungers: The Problem of Poverty in U.S. Literature, 1840-1945 (Princeton University Press, 2007), uncovers a complex discourse on the poor in American literature from the antebellum era through the Depression.

The media, poverty and public opinion in the UK March 24, 2009

2008 [Joseph Rountree]: This report analyses how the media reports UK poverty and its impact on public understanding and opinion.

Building economies from the bottom up: (mis)representations of poverty in the rural American Northwest March 24, 2009

2008 [Social and Cultural Geography]: This paper examines interconnected processes of economic restructuring and representations of poor subjects that rely on imaginaries of race, ethnicity, class and rural space. We argue that poverty and privilege are mutually produced and so we focus on the representational practices of White leaders in persistently poor counties across the American Northwest.

Ideology in the US Welfare Debate: Neo-Liberal Representations of Poverty March 24, 2009

1996 [SAGE]: This article discusses the political ideologies underlying the welfare debate in the US. It argues that conservative arguments and rhetoric, that were in the margin of the political debate in the early 1980s, have been naturalized in the mainstream discussion on welfare and poverty in the US.

Contesting representations of poverty: Ethics and evaluation March 24, 2009

2007 [Adalaide Research]: This paper starts from the proposition that poverty is a contested concept and that debates about poverty are about more than questions of measurement and technical definition.

Representations of poverty in Canada's daily press : an exploratory study of contending poverty paradigms March 24, 2009

2003 [Simon Fraiser Institute]: Representations of poverty in Canada's daily press : an exploratory study of contending poverty paradigms

New work explores UK representations of poverty March 24, 2009

2008 [Joseph Rountree]: Two new publications, funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), have put a spotlight on how the media reports and depicts poverty and how this might be improved.