The dominant narrative framing of the July 1966 events in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood is that the mostly African-American residents “rioted” out of “frustration” with the interrelated facts of oppressive city policies and poor living conditions.
Recent historical work questions the interpretation of resident actions as rioting, while site ontological analysis of the week’s activities can help displace the simplistic psychologism of the frustration motivation.
The Social Justice Institute’s next Research Lunch Series event, held Tuesday, Nov. 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in Crawford Hall, Room A9, will address this new interpretation.
Employing the work of political philosophers Jacques Ranciere and Gilles Deleuze, Paul Hanson, a SAGES Fellow, will make the case that Hough was a political event that can be productively interpreted in light of wider struggles over resident rights to the city.
Hanson is an anthropologist and folklorist with a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. He teaches anthropology at various colleges throughout Cleveland and is concerned with political theory. He is writing a book on the Hough and Glenville events of the late 1960s and conducts ongoing research into conservation politics in the southeast of Madagascar.
The Social Justice Research Lunch Series presents monthly events where faculty and researchers across academic disciplines present how social justice is central to their research. Bring your lunch. Drinks and desserts provided. Question and answer sessions follow presentations.
RSVP to socialjustice@case.edu.