This module takes its name from The Other America by Michael Harrington, a study of 1950s U. S. poverty. From the 1700s, many American white people of European heritage have lacked the land, education, skills, or opportunities for advancement.   White identity movements have  drawn on regionalism, clannishness, racism, xenophobia, fear, and class resentments.  With economic distress, movements have coalesced around feelings that the country is not working for them. Poor and working class whites gave impetus to Populism and insurgent “white identity” movements supporting Huey Long, George Wallace, and recently Donald Trump.Another important element is “race” -- a word and concept developed to justify the colonization and control (and  enslavement) of black Africans by white Europeans and Americans. They used fake “race” science to justify colonization, the slave trade and subordination of Blacks.A complete, objective history requires an understanding of Americans who join in such identity politics.

This talk begins with Meri Koivusalo’s overview of populism’s influence on public health activities, pandemic control and health promotion. She will discuss broader questions of populism and public health. Lynda Gilby will follow with a discussion on far-right populism, gender, and sexual and reproductive health and rights and work in more detail. Nationalism has been associated with resurgence in far-right populism, which emphasises “traditional family values and gender roles”. Lynda Gilby will focus on global governance, sharing findings from her research on how UN negotiations and high-level meetings, such as on UHC, have continued to be subject to efforts to replace references to SRHR with conservative language emphasising traditional, heteronormative family values and how these efforts have impacted on SRHR text in UN documents.

This collection uses primary sources to explore the politics of the Gilded Age. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

“National People’s Party Platform, Adopted at Omaha, Neb., July 4, 1892.” The World Almanac 1893, Press Publishing Company, New York, 1893. Pg. 83-85. Accessed at https://archive.org/details/worldalmanac1893newy/page/82/mode/2up Oct. 25, 2021. This work is in the Public Domain

This seminar aims to develop a teaching knowledge of the field through extensive reading and discussion of major works. The reading covers a broad range of topics - political, economic, social, and cultural - and represents a variety of historical methods.