Work, Recreation, and Culture: Essays in American Labor History

Work, Recreation, and Culturecontinues a series in labor history which reflects the transformations that have occurred in the field of labor studies these past three decades. This title attempts to reflect the full scope of the history of American labor despite what is reflected in the established canon. The standard works did not satisfactorily account for even the successes and failures of mainstream labor organizations, much less the wider social movements intimately linked to labor. The essays in this volume focus on the role of women in the work force. They explore how organized sports, social associations of all kinds and the educational system faced by the children of worker were profoundly linked to work place and community activism. They examine why radical labor organizations that could win major strikes often could not sustain themselves as permanent institutions. Finally, the essays argue that simultaneous leadership changes in management and labor in the auto industry were less theresult of internal conflicts than needed structural adjustments to changing economic and political realities. Interwoven into all of the essays is the intricate dynamic between immigrant and native-born, between different immigrant waves and the groups, and between workers at different skill levels.Work, Recreation, and Cultureenriches and expands the established labor narratives.