Fifteenth Annual LatCrit Conference
The Color of the Economic Crisis: Exploring the Downturn from the Bottom Up
University of Denver - Sturm College of Law
Denver, CO
October 7-10, 2010
Welcome to LatCrit XV!
LatCrit's annual conference returned to Colorado ten years after LatCrit V., LatCrit Theory and Praxis in a World of Economic Inequality, was held in Breckenridge, CO. LatCrit XV allowed us to revisit some of the issues explored then in this year's theme, The Color of the Economic Crisis: Exploring the Downturn from the Bottom Up.
The Global Financial Crisis peaked in September 2008 when stock markets crashed and numerous banks, mortgage lenders and insurance companies failed. The crisis at home quickly sent shockwaves worldwide. Gripped by the specter of global economic disintegration, nations responded with stimulus plans and bailouts for the banking industry. Almost two years later , relief for the hardest hit – people of color, low-income communities, and women – has yet to materialize. Communities of color have moved beyond recession and are now experiencing a depression, yet the media has paid little attention to the effects of this crisis on the most vulnerable. In examining the workings of subordinated identities -- race, gender, sexual orientation and class (economic status) -- class stands alone as a putative indicator of merit. Net worth and social worth are equated in a capitalism that holds itself out as a tool of anti-subordination. But such an account of capitalism ignores its historical and societal underpinnings, and how capitalism functions to entrench the status quo. This conference will explore the causes, conditions and ramifications of the economic crisis.
Thanks to an overwhelming response to our Call for Papers/Panels, LatCrit XV turned out to be a dynamic and engaging conference. Joining illustrious plenary speakers and honorees were an extensive and diverse roster of notable speakers on panels, roundtables and in work-in-progress colloquia. We enjoyed seeing you there!