Debt in History

Debt in History This project, based in the Department of English at Dalhousie University, explores representations of debt from the nineteenth century to the present.

Scholarship on Victorian literature has long argued that Mr Gradgrind, the schoolmaster in Dickens’ Hard Times (1854), is a caricature and criticism of the Benthamite James Mill. This project argues that renewed attention be given to the Bentham-Dickens connection by exploring the social, political, epistemological, and ethical implications of debt in their writing. Its central questions are: (1) how did the two writers deal with the issue of debt? and (2) what corrective agendas did Bentham and Dickens propose? This project is supported by a Frederick Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship held by Dr Tom Ue. It is especially timely in the light of: (1) the economic depression in our own time and, as a response, the debt forgiveness activism that was born out of the Occupy Wall Street movement; (2) the fact that Bentham’s attitude to debt has received inadequate scholarly attention though it is of enduring importance; and (3) the developing critical interest in exploring Dickens through the lens of money (Jaffe, 2010; Malton, 2009; Houston, 2005).

In other good news, this essay collection, which contains my chapter on debt in Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive, will be ou...
04/30/2021

In other good news, this essay collection, which contains my chapter on debt in Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive, will be out in two months! Some of you have heard an early version at Debt in History.

Jakob Gaardbo Nielsen will be defending his PhD next week. The thesis investigates nineteenth-century literary portrayal...
04/28/2021

Jakob Gaardbo Nielsen will be defending his PhD next week. The thesis investigates nineteenth-century literary portrayals of financial institutions and joint-stock companies. Come and learn about stock exchange novels, speculative fantasies, corporate persons and speaking corporations. The event is open and free for all, but it is necessary to sign up via the link below.

https://arts.au.dk/en/news-and-events/events/vis/artikel/online-phd-defence-jakob-gaardbo-nielsen/?fbclid=IwAR0g65Knau2lGja6uhJa9p0tx9fsZYhC-Nb3zNaKATNR7zCXlTrwEAHjgjc

Hurrah! ReFocus: The Films of Albert Brooks is coming out in July from Edinburgh University Press. Some of you have hear...
01/19/2021

Hurrah! ReFocus: The Films of Albert Brooks is coming out in July from Edinburgh University Press. Some of you have heard an early version of my chapter on Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive at Debt in History.

RSVP for "Where Do We Go From Here?"
11/02/2020

RSVP for "Where Do We Go From Here?"

Naomi Klein, Astra Taylor and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor on election 2020 and it's aftermath.

RIP David Graeber
09/03/2020

RIP David Graeber

The anarchist and author of bestselling books on capitalism and bureaucracy died in a Venice hospital on Wednesday

RIP Chadwick Boseman
08/29/2020

RIP Chadwick Boseman

Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman has died at age 43 after a four-year fight with colon cancer, a representative has told The Associated Press.

Address

C/o Dr Tom Ue, Department Of English, Dalhousie University, 6135 University Avenue, Room 1186, P. O. BOX 15000
Halifax, NS
B3H4R2

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Debt in History posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category