The need for class consciousness in the United States is more important than ever. The social complications and physical toll of COVID-19 and skyrocketing inflation has exacerbated already deepening gaps between the rich and poor. As the poorest of us suffer the worst of the pandemic, the wealthiest have celebrated unprecedented profits. Though it may seem common knowledge that the classes in America live very different lives from one another, the lack of academic, media, and social attention conceals the growing crisis this divide causes. By understanding and breaking down the structures and systems that uphold our modern class structure, this conference aims to make meaningful change both in and outside of the academic ivory tower.
As class studies are often niche, invisible, or non-existent within many cultural studies programs, we hope to draw attention to the discipline and the broader need for class consciousness. Students are not provided the tools to understand what is happening to America’s most vulnerable, and therefore have no understanding on how to comprehend and combat it. In addition, lower-income students often find themselves lost and alone within an academic system that neglects class. We hope to give these students a voice and space to be.
As a public university for the public good, Bowling Green State University will host an academic conference that has the potential to create good for the public to whom we are committed. This conference aims to facilitate dialog surrounding the issues of class in American culture, both in traditional academic presentations as well as in workshops, discussions, and artistic representations (written, spoken, visual, performance, etc.).
The main areas of the conference include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Class Representations in Popular Culture
- Class Issues in Academia
- Social Outreach and Activism
Free Event Online and in Person