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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 People's Money), television shows (
The Wire and
Mad Men), songs (the work of Bruce Springsteen), and poems (Natasha Tretheway's "
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.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Steven Michels, "Introduction: How America Works"
1. Jon D. Schaff, "All the Past We Leave Behind: Willa Cather's
O! Pioneers and the Agrarian Vision"
2. Victor Bruno, "Trouble in the 10018 Zone: Incommunicability and Working-Class Frustration in King Vidor's
Street Scene"
3. Sally Parry, "Sinclair Lewis's
Ann Vickers: Seeking a Work-Life Balance"
4. Steven Michels, "
Native Son and the Myth of Mobility"
5. Pedro Blas Gonzalez, "Ortega y Gasset's Mass Man, Strife, and Work in the Thought of Elmer Kelton and Eric Hoffer"
6. Mark Wheeler, "The Working Class in Schrader's
Blue Collar"
7. Glenn A. Moots, "Financialism Versus the Working Class in
Wall Street and
Other People's Money"
8. Aimee Pozorski, "'pushing into the hum of the machines': Textiles and Women's Labor in Black and White"
9. Shaun Richman, "When It Ain't 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 Springsteen's Working Class"
Über den Autor / die Autorin
Steven Michels is associate professor of political science at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. His published work includes a number of articles and chapters on politics and culture.
Steven Michels, Sacred Heart, USA
Steven Michels is associate professor of political science at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. His published work includes a number of articles and chapters on politics and culture.
Steven Michels, Sacred Heart, USA
Mark W. Lipsey is research professor, Peabody Research Institute and Department of Human and Organizational Development, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University.Jon D. Schaff is professor of political science at Northern State University.Mark Wheeler is professor of Political Communications at London Metropolitan University.
