{"product_id":"the-fundamental-institution-megan-birk-9780252086458","title":"The Fundamental Institution: Poverty, Social Welfare, and Agriculture in American Poor Farms","description":"By the early 1900s, the poor farm had become a ubiquitous part of America's social welfare system. Megan Birk's history of this foundational but forgotten institution focuses on the connection between agriculture, provisions for the disadvantaged, and the daily realities of life at poor farms. Conceived as an inexpensive way to provide care for the indigent, poor farms in fact attracted wards that ranged from abused wives and the elderly to orphans, the disabled, and disaster victims. Most people arrived unable rather than unwilling to work, some because of physical problems, others due to a lack of skills or because a changing labor market had left them behind. Birk blends the personal stories of participants with institutional histories to reveal a loose-knit system that provided a measure of care to everyone without an overarching philosophy of reform or rehabilitation. \u003cp\u003eIn-depth and innovative, \u003ci\u003eThe Fundamental Institution\u003c\/i\u003e offers an overdue portrait of rural social welfare in the United States.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Megan Birk\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0252086457\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780252086458\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Illinois Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/12\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 300\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.00lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.21h x 6.06w x 0.94d","brand":"Megan Birk","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43945235153151,"sku":"9780252086458","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_b4ae3e03-8f9d-4a5d-b93e-fbb609035d80.jpg?v=1681507568","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-fundamental-institution-megan-birk-9780252086458","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}