Events

How does economic predation shape political attitudes, behavior, and everyday political life? This project examines American democracy from the vantage point of Black and economically marginalized individuals who rely on the fringe economy for vital financial resources. I develop a framework of extractive politics to theorize the relationship between extractive markets and longstanding political marginalization. Drawing on geographic, survey, and interview data, I show how experiences with the fringe economy contribute to political alienation, distrust in government, and diminished political participation. I argue that economic predation undermines democratic inclusion by depleting material resources and signaling state abandonment. Ultimately, this project demonstrates how financial and political exclusion are interconnected, with profound implications for democratic governance and inequality in America.

The Political Science Seminar Series is convened by Desmond King and David Rueda For more information on this or any of the seminars in the series, please contact politics.secretary@nuffield.ox.ac.uk.