Well, editor Ranjit Dighe in his book, The Historian's Wizard of Oz, tells us that “Democrats tend to stress an economic populism, in which they claim to be the defenders of working-class Americans against the excesses of big business, while Republicans tend to stress a cultural populism, in which they claim to be the defenders of traditional values against intellectual elites, and an economic populism of their own, aimed at big government and “tax-and-spend liberals.”
Sound familiar? The current media frenzy of political coverage spews forth these very ideas every day. Populism in the late 19th century has been detected in the symbolism of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Populism was the big story of the tumultuous 1890s and must have influenced Baum’s thinking, even if he claimed to write a simple story for children. A newspaperman, he was no stranger to the politics of the time.
Want to learn more about the politics & economics of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz? Maybe like me, you are feeling as if you should have paid more attention to those American history courses! Dr. Ranjit Dighe, Associate Professor of Economic History at SUNY Oswego will provide a unique view of the classic book and teach us a little economic history.
Come hear Dr Dighe on Thursday March 27 at 7:30 pm in the McManus Room.