Pioneers of the African American Dream

Although the recent Pew report on America’s racial groups provided a stark picture of the wide chasm in the net worth deterioration among the USA’s major racial groups (see my last post here), another study indicates that African-Americans and Latinos have not become pessimistic. Despite the 53 percent drop in the median black household’s wealth and the 66 percent collapse in Latino household net worth, these two demographic groups have not shown a similar nosedive in optimism.

White Americans, on the other hand, have suffered less erosion in household wealth but report a deeper sense of economic dissatisfaction. Despite losing 16 percent in net worth, 57 percent of whites report they are “very dissatisfied” with the national economic picture. This is is much higher than the 43 percent of Latinos thatregistered the same sentiment. Among blacks, the share of individuals reporting the same level of dissatisfaction is even lower – only 37 percent of blacks report this level of pessimism. The economic dissatisfaction survey was a joint project of the Kaiser Family Foundation, Harvard University, and the Washington Post.

Analysts try to explain the large discrepancy between the amount of economic impact felt by a group and their economic outlook as one of expectations. One line of thinking argues that since white Americans have long been the beneficiary of America’s economic boom times, they have built up a high level of economic expectation. This sense of limitless expansion was shaken by the recent Great Recession. Also, the recent rise of Brazil and China in combination with the recent economic reversal has led many whites to wonder if the US has entered a stage of permanent decline.

African-Americans, on the other hand, have only begun to enjoy the full economic bounty America offers in the last few decades. Since many feel they started out way behind and only began to catch up recently, the recent decline was just a reminder that there was still a lot of ground to cover. Hence, expectations of struggle tempered by many years of denied opportunities leads to a more sanguine view of American economic prospects. Also, the election of Barack Obama gave many African-Americans cause for hope in an America that was changing for the better – and for good. Taken together, these factors, according to some analysts, give black Americans a brighter view of the future.

Latinos showed the steepest drop in median wealth among America’s major minority groups. Other groups didn’t fare any better but had less dramatic drops in median wealth: African-Americans saw their median household wealth dip by 53 percent while Asian-Americans suffered a 54 percent rollback.

In comparison, white American households’ median wealth fell by only 16 percent. Because of this disparity in wealth reduction rates, white households’ net worth is now eighteen times more than Hispanic households’ net worth. Worse, African American household worth is 20 times less than the majority population’s.

All told, these declines represent the biggest downward shift since the Census Bureau began tracking this data 25 years ago, accordingto the Pew report. Some observers pointed out that Hispanics were hit harder by the recession because they tended to be employed in the very industries heaviest hit by the recession – agriculture, hotels and restaurants, and, most of all, construction. Other observers point to more sinister reasons like a backlash against the rapid shift in the Latino percentage of the US’ population,which is projected to reach 25 percent in as little as 20 years from now. According to this group of analysts, the backlash and fear fuel the recent anti-immigrant sentiment in Arizona and other states. However, this analysis still doesn’t provide a concrete connection between such a backlash and the across the board decline in Latino household wealth.

The site is really not much more than a forum where you can exchange information. But what people have done in the past is this: They have documented their application process with a special emphasis on the crucial time between November and March when you write the GREs, receive your scores, apply and wait for the thumbs up or thumbs down. In addition, there is also a large section for international students about everything from the interview experience at the American embassy when you apply for your visa to questions of what it is like to live and work in the United States. It is really a helpful resource. If you think about starting next year, now is a good time to get in involved with this site and start reading up. Maybe you will find someone who has gotten into your university of choice. In that case, you really have a perfect source of information, better than anyone over in Europe could ever be.

alexdecarvalho via Flickr

One of the special treats of the American Studies year is the annual meeting of the American Studies Association, something that you shouldn’t miss if you are in the area – or if your school covers the travel expense. I like conferences in general, they give you a good idea of whats happening in the field and you get to talk to lots of smart and interesting individuals, plus the food is usually (but not always) quite exquisite. Today, the ASA published the program for the upcoming annual conference in Baltimore in October. Since there are literally hundreds of workshops and sessions, the program is searchable online and reveals some very exciting stuff. In general, the trends continue to go towards topics such as queer politics, diasporas, and aesthetics; labor and class studies; humor, popular culture and material culture; music and sound; religion, religious embodiment, and the politics of religion.

No matter what field you work in, you will find that American Studies professionals, whether big names or first-year grad students, are pretty approachable group and usually a very friendly, but critical crowd of your presentations. Everybody seems to acknowledge the hard work you do and if criticism comes, it is usually in the spirit of serious academic interest and the motivation to help you improve your work. It is a nice change from the hypercritical cultures that most Europeans come from. I recommend attending conferences such as the ASA Annual Meeting as early as possible in your career to get a sense of what I am writing about. Get a feeling of the atmosphere. It will help you once you are ready to present your own work.

photo © 2007 Aleksandar Cocek | more info (via: Wylio)

For more, you might also enjoy this article from the Chronicle: http://chronicle.com/article/Breaking-Into-Publishing/44646/

I know this announcement is sort of late, but if you have a manuscript in the closet, 250-400 pages long, or if you know someone who does – here’s your chance. Until June 30th, 2011,  The European Association of American Studies (EAAS) accepts nominations for its biennial award for the best book manuscript, named for the professor emeritus at the University of Amsterdam, Rob Kroes. Kroes served as the EAAS president from 1992-1996. You do have to be a member of one of the 21 EAAS-national organizations to participate.

The 2009 winner was the University of Tübingen’s Astrid Franke with her book Pursue the Illusion: Problems of Public Poetry in America.