Sociology

Hannah Pullen-Blasnik

Ph.D. Student, Department of Sociology

Paul F. Lazarsfeld Fellow

School-to-Work Pathway and Racial/Ethnic Inequality among College Graduates

Bruce Western

Co-Director, Justice Lab

Bryce Professor of Sociology and Social Justice; Chair, Department of Sociology

Columbia University

Doctoral Dissertation Research: Forgive Us Our Debts: Market Expansion, Ethno-Racial Boundaries, and the Democratization of Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy has long been a locus of struggle over whom is morally worthy of an economic rebirth. Early twentieth century America, as a key period of expanding credit markets and the institutionalization of bankruptcy, wrestled with these tensions. In particular, the Bankruptcy Act of 1898 unexpectedly resulted in skyrocketing personal bankruptcy filing rates, which helped to solidify the perception of bankruptcy as a means for the working person?s economic rebirth.