Worlds divided: interrogating inequality, past and present

ﻡﺎﺴﻘﻧﻻﺍﺀﺎﻬﻧﺇﺪﻳﺮﻳﺐﻌﺸﻟﺍ “the people want the division to end”

 “We are the 99%”

The rallying cries of the Arab Spring across the Middle East and the subsequent rise of the Occupy Movement in the United States have moved the issue of inequality to the front-and-center of global political and media discourses. However, a social system that  divides the haves and have-nots is hardly a modern phenomenon. Questions surrounding inequality have long been central to many disciplines – archaeology, anthropology, sociology, history, political science – considering both the root causes and material  consequences of social injustice. The current global interest in the topic makes now a productive time for a new discussion bridging these disciplines.

“Worlds divided: interrogating inequality, past and present” is a Mellon Graduate Student Workshop running since the 2014-2015 academic year. The workshop will bring together scholars who, looking at similar questions across diverse chronological periods  and geographic regions, will examine the concept in its broadest sense, in the belief that an interdisciplinary approach can best help understand inequality in the past and the present. Check back to learn more about our program, visiting speakers, or to read blog posts about our ongoing discussions.

 (Photo credit: M@r©k, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0)