LA Social Science Book Series on the Poverty of Disaster with Dr. Tawny Paul

In the latest interview of the book series, we learn that one in four people went to debtors’ prison. The Poverty of Disaster is a historical account of financial insecurity in Eighteenth-Century England. Dr. Tawny Paul‘s approach to look at everyday economics and how it impacts the social and emotional lives of the English middle class leads to uncovering how incarceration and fear played a role in the precariousness of their status. This book also speaks to the economic crisis today and traces the continuities of a capitalist system.

Interview Chapters:

0:00 – Intro

0:36 – Genesis of the Book

1:49 – Book summary

3:48 – Other major findings, including debtor’s prison

5:20 – The role of fear

7:55 – How findings connect to current events

10:59 – Who would benefit from reading this book?

To learn more, check out Dr. Paul’s book The Poverty of Disaster: Debt and Insecurity in Eighteenth-Century Britain.

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