Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
Act 2: Tastes In Common (1938-2002), James Smith Allen
Act 2: Tastes In Common (1938-2002), James Smith Allen
A Privileged Past
Act 2 of "A Privileged Past" explores the history of one family – the author’s family of origin – from its inception in 1938 until its dissolution in 2002. Tracing the Allens in Silver Spring, Maryland – a wealthy suburb of Washington, DC – this chapter highlights the family’s steady relative decline in socio-economic status in the wake of the New Deal that, at least until 1980, promoted the development of a middle class much more modest than what the Allens represented. The dominant metaphor in this account is that of taste and the shared rituals of families and friends …