Inequality in America: Interdisciplinary Perspectives

In the United States income inequality has increased significantly. For decades wage growth has been especially slow for the middle class, whereas the top 10% of earners has benefitted the most from the economic upswing. The same is true for the distribution of wealth, in the U.S. and, to differing degrees, in Canada and other countries of the Americas as well. Racial and ethnic inequalities as well as inequalities along gender lines also leave a deep mark on different countries of the Americas and are often the result of a lack of social justice, equality of opportunity, or access to education and health services. Systemic and structural inequalities are also negotiated in a wide range of cultural practices, often thematizing inequality along the 'color line.'The essays collected in this book address inequality in America from a variety of perspectives, ranging from literary and cultural studies, sociology, economics, political science, history, geography as well as museum studies.