"The twelve chapters of Scenes from the American Working Class: This Hard Land uses the lens of political theory to explore the working life of Americans as it has been depicted in popular culture. It covers a wide range of experiences and voices from the past hundred-plus years"--
What have depictions of the working class in popular culture added to our understanding of the professional lives of Americans? Scenes from the American Working Class: This Hard Land offers twelve unique and profound answers from some of the most impactful and timeless novels (O! Pioneers, Ann Vickers, and Native Son), films (Blue Collar, Wall Street, and Other Peoples Money), television shows (The Wire and Mad Men), songs (the work of Bruce Springsteen), and poems (Natasha Tretheways Drapery Factory, Gulfport, Mississippi, 1956).
Key themes include the turn from agrarianism to industrialism and post-industrialism; the challenges particular to women, new immigrants, and workers of color; and the relationship between the demands of the workplace and the responsibilities of citizens in a democracy. Also explored is the extent to which having a productive and fulfilling working life is essential to living a life of meaning and purpose.
Although there is a significant gap between the rhetoric and the reality of the American dream, these portrayals all give a glimpse into the resiliency and optimism of workers and why the country continues to be a land of hope.
The twelve chapters of Scenes from the American Working Class: This Hard Landuse the lens of political theory to explore the working life of Americans as it has been depicted in popular culture. It covers a wide range of experiences and voices from the past hundred-plus years.
Recenzijos
Steven Michels has assembled a rich collection of essays exploring working-class representations in multimedia. Scenes from the American Working Class: This Hard Land is a strong contribution to the growing field of working-class studies. -- Ira Shor, Professor Emeritus, City Universtiy of NY Graduate Center
Daugiau informacijos
The twelve chapters of Scenes from the American Working Class: This Hard Land use the lens of political theory to explore the working life of Americans as it has been depicted in popular culture. It covers a wide range of experiences and voices from the past hundred-plus years.
Steven Michels, Introduction: How America Works
1. Jon D. Schaff, All the Past We Leave Behind: Willa Cathers O! Pioneers
and the Agrarian Vision
2. Victor Bruno, Trouble in the 10018 Zone: Incommunicability and
Working-Class Frustration in King Vidors Street Scene
3. Sally Parry, Sinclair Lewiss Ann Vickers: Seeking a Work-Life Balance
4. Steven Michels, Native Son and the Myth of Mobility
5. Pedro Blas Gonzalez, Ortega y Gassets Mass Man, Strife, and Work in the
Thought of Elmer Kelton and Eric Hoffer
6. Mark Wheeler, The Working Class in Schraders Blue Collar
7. Glenn A. Moots, Financialism Versus the Working Class in Wall Street and
Other Peoples Money
8. Aimee Pozorski, pushing into the hum of the machines: Textiles and
Womens Labor in Black and White
9. Shaun Richman, When It Aint Your Turn: Striving for Meaningful Work in
The Wire
10. Kevin M. Kearns, Happiness is a Moment Before You Need More Happiness:
Happiness, Mad Men, and Locke
11. Christine Susienka, Severed Selves and the Search for Meaning
12. Simon Stow, Is a Dream a Lie? Hope, Cruel Optimism, and Bruce
Springsteens Working Class
Steven Michels is professor of political science at Sacred Heart University and the author of Sinclair Lewis and American Democracy (2017)
