Julia Ott advances critical histories of capitalism through scholarship, teaching, editoral work, publically-engaged writings. In her research, Ott investigates how American political culture shapes our economic institutions – specifically finance – and, in turn, how financial markets and institutions shape our political culture. Her first book, When Wall Street Met Main Street: The Quest for an Investors’ Democracy charts the rise of mass investment in the United States between 1890 and 1930. Ott’s current project, Why Wealth is White: Tax Policy and the Racial Wealth Gap centers white supremacy in the history of U.S. tax policy and its impact on wealth distribution. Her other current project, What Was Venture Capital? The Decline of Innovation and the Return of Inequality examines the history of venture capital as an idea, a political mobilization, and a distinct sector within the financial system.
Julia Ott
Visiting Scholar
