Awards

• Winner of Brian McConnell Award 2021 (United States)
• Winner of Chicago Folklore Prize 2021 (United States)

Overview

In 1976, Ronald Reagan hit the campaign trail with an extraordinary account of a woman committing massive welfare fraud. The story caught fire and a devastating symbol of the misuse government programs was born: the Welfare Queen. Overthrowing the Queen examines these legends of fraud and abuse while bringing to light personal stories of hardship and hope told by cashiers, bus drivers, and business owners; politicians and aid providers; and, most important, aid recipients themselves. Together these stories reveal how the seemingly innocent act of storytelling can create not only powerful stereotypes that shape public policy, but also redemptive counter-narratives that offer hope of a more accurate, fair, and empathetic view of poverty in America today. Overthrowing the Queen tackles perceptions of welfare recipients while proposing new approaches to the study of oral narrative that extend far beyond the study of welfare, poverty, and social justice.

Full Product Details

Author:   Tom Mould
Publisher:   Indiana University Press
Imprint:   Indiana University Press
Weight:   0.621kg
ISBN:  

9780253048035

ISBN 10:   0253048036
Pages:   384
Publication Date:   25 August 2020
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Section I: Welfare Legends: An American Tradition Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: The Welfare System and Narrative Scholarship Chapter 3: Birth in a Nation Section II: Insider Views: Aid Recipients' Stories Chapter 4: Origin Stories Chapter 5: Challenge Stories Chapter 6: Making Ends Meet and Achieving Success Stories Section III: Public Debates: Clash of Cultures Chapter 7: Symbols and Stereotypes Chapter 8: Hard Workers and the Worthy Poor Chapter 9: Welfare Lore in Social Media Section IV: Re-Envisioning Legends Chapter 10: Context as Creator of Tradition Chapter 11: Truth and Doubt in Contemporary Tradition Chapter 12: Overthrowing the Queen Epilogue Appendix Notes Sources Cited

Reviews

Mould brilliantly captures the importance of prejudices towards welfare and how these social misrepresentations can shape current policies on public assistance. -- Eric Gagnon Poulin * Ethic and Racial Studies *

Author Information

Tom Mould is Professor of Anthropology and Folklore at Butler University. He is the author of Still, the Small Voice: Narrative, Personal Revelation, and the Mormon Folk Tradition, Choctaw Prophecy: A Legacy of the Future, and Choctaw Tales.

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