Julia OttPhD, History, Yale University, 2007;
MA & MPhil, History, 2002;
BA, History (certificate in American Studies), Princeton University, 1997
Assistant Professor of History
Profile:Today, neo-liberal political culture champions reforms that liberate markets from the ‘dead hand’ of government regulation and bureaucracy. Laissez-faire markets–particularly financial markets–are promoted as the best mechanism for allocating society’s resources and facilitating each individual’s quest for opportunity, prosperity, and security. And yet, most of the great reform movements in American history pitched themselves against free-rein capitalism. How, when, and why did this change occur? These are the questions that motivate me most as a researcher and as a teacher.
Courses Taught:- Women and Gender in the United States: the Twentieth Century, Spring 2007
- United States Economic and Business History, Spring 2007
- Consumer Culture in American History
- Women and Gender in Early America
- Readings on the Right
- Markets in History: Interdisciplinary Perspective
When Wall Street Met Main Street, 1890-1932 (forthcoming)
At present, the majority of U. S. households partake in some form or bond or stock investment. Most Americans consider investment to be consistent with political democracy. Indeed, some even contend that widespread securities ownership confirms the democratic nature of the economy and moves us closer to an “ownership society.” A mere century ago, however, most Americans regarded Wall Street as an instrument of unaccountable elite power and looked upon financial markets with suspicion. Less than one percent of the population held stocks or bonds. When Wall Street Met Main Street brings together economic, political, and cultural history to examine the origins of this remarkable turnaround in perception and practice.
In the current climate of financial turmoil and mounting disparities in wealth, Americans once again debate whether laissez-faire financial markets can provide economic security and justice for all. When Wall Street Met Main Street provides a critical historical perspective on these vital present day concerns.
The New School for Social Research
Committee on Historical Studies
80 Fifth Ave, Room 511
New York, NY 10011
W 2:30-4:30
Phone Number/Extension:212-229-5376 x2065
Email:ottj@newschool.eduResearch Interests:20th century American history, financial and business history, political conservatism, consumer culture, women's and gender history
- American Historical Association
- American Studies Association
- Economic History Association
- Business History Conference
“The Emergence of a Mass Investment Culture in the United States, 1919-1929,” NYU Stern School of Business, April 2008“ ‘The Free and Open People's Market’:” New York Stock Exchange Public Relations & the Social Imaginary of Finance, 1890-1929, Committee on Historical Studies, New School for Social Research, April 2008
" ‘The Free and Open People's Market’:" New York Stock Exchange Public
Relations, 1913-1929,” Political Economy Seminar, Harvard University, February 2008
"From New Proprietorship to New Era: Marking a Shareholders' Democracy in the United States, 1919-1929," Economic Department Colloquium, New School for Social Research, 2007
"The Ownership Society in the American Political Imagination," American Political Science Association Conference, 2006
"From the New Proprietorship to the New Era: Investorist Theory and Policy, 1917-1929," Policy History Conference, 2006
"Be A Stockholder in Victory!': The American Citizen-Investor in War and Peace," Miller Center Fellows Conference, 2006
- Miller Cetner Fellowship in Contemporary History, Policy, and Politics, University of Virginia, 2005-06
- John E. Rovensky Fellowship in American Economic and Business History, 2004-05
- Whitebox Advisors Doctoral Fellowship in Behavioral Finance, Yale School of Management, 2004-05