Intersections of Race, Gender, and Precarity: Navigating Insecurities in an American City

The United States government often creates more problems than it solves when it comes to assistance, according to Stephanie Baran's book Intersections of Race, Gender, and Precarity: Navigating Insecurities in an American City. Through a two-year ethnographic study of poverty and insecurity in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the author shows how people navigate situations of poverty through interviews with recipients and organizations, as well as those working at a local community pantry. Research uncovered how local food organizations with connections to the Milwaukee Chapter of the Black Panther Party hide their more radical roots to protect food donations from white donors, protecting white fragility. People are far closer to experiencing poverty than they realize, as shown by the Government Shutdown of 2019 and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and typically have incomplete and inaccurate ideas of poverty as well as how people can experience upward mobility.

Format: Hardback
Length: 234 pages
Publication date: 28 January 2022
Publisher: Lexington Books

In her book, Intersections of Race, Gender, and Precarity: Navigating Insecurities in an American City, Stephanie Baran makes a compelling argument that when it comes to providing assistance, the United States government often exacerbates rather than resolves issues. These institutions are not designed to create a road out of poverty; instead, they frequently exacerbate it. The author conducts a two-year ethnographic study of poverty and insecurity in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to demonstrate how individuals cope with such circumstances. The study reveals how local food organizations with ties to the Milwaukee Chapter of the Black Panther Party conceal their more radical origins to protect food donations from white donors, thereby preserving white fragility. It is important to recognize that people are far more susceptible to poverty than they may realize, as evidenced by the Government Shutdown of 2019 and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, their perceptions of poverty and the opportunities for upward mobility are often incomplete and inaccurate. Intersections of Race, Gender, and Precarity sheds light on this gap by focusing on how these factors manifest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Weight: 544g
Dimension: 228 x 159 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781793608536