Archive: John Russo
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WCP: Economic Nationalism and the Half-Life of Deindustrialization
Four decades ago a major mill in Youngstown shut its doors, setting of a massive process of deindustrialization in the Rust Belt that still stings working people. In this week’s Working-Class Perspective, Sherry Linkon and John Russo trace today’s politics of resentment to the economic changes that disrupted places like Youngstown 40 years ago.
Category: Visiting Scholars
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WCP: Calling Luther to a Labor Ethic
On the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s nailing of 95 theses on the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany, we contemplate the relevance of religious history on today’s working-class issues. Ken Estey explores the link between Luther’s claim for the spiritual equality of all people and the so-called Protestant work ethic, arguing for a new ethic to address labor the exploitation of labor in the spirit of Luther’s calls for reform.
Category: Visiting Scholars
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WCP: Equal Opportunity Is Not Enough
There has been no shortage of explanations and proposed solutions to America’s growing class divide. A recent effort by Richard Reeves’ Dream Horders expands blame from the top 1% to the top 20% of incomes for manipulating the system to benefit their children. In this week’s Working-Class Perspective, Jack Metzgar critiques Reeves’ solutions for reflecting classist attitudes and neglecting transformational policies to generate shared prosperity.
Category: Visiting Scholars
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WCP: Race AND Class, Then and Now
The events that took place in Charlottesville and the President’s refusal to denounce white supremacists has led many to interpret current political tensions as rooted in racism, particularly among the white working class. In this week’s Working-Class Perspective, KI affiliate faculty member Sherry Linkon discusses how the film Detroit, portraying the 1967 uprising in Motor City, and the white supremacist march in Charlottesville both reflect the intersection of race and class. Prof. Linkon insists that to make lasting social change, we must advance both economic justice and racial justice.
Category: Visiting Scholars
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WCP: Karl Marx Makes a Comeback
Is Karl Marx making a comeback right in time for his upcoming bicentennial birthday? In this week’s Working-Class Perspective, Kathy M. Newman considers the reasons for Marx’s resurgence in popularity.
Category: Visiting Scholars
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WCP: Valuing a Lost Work Culture
Beyond a paycheck, work fosters social connection, dignity, and a sense of creativity. In this week’s Working-Class Perspective, Tim Strangleman ponders whether the decline of older industries means that fewer workers engage art in their labor.
Category: Visiting Scholars
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WCP: Getting Over in the Heart of Dixie
Alabama may be known for its conservative politics, but the state has a wealth of working-class and progressive organizing taking place. In this week’s Working-Class Perspective, Helen Diana Eidson describes the growth and achievements of Alabama Arise, a coalition of congregations and community groups fighting for public services, fairer taxation, tenant rights, and criminal justice reform.
Category: Visiting Scholars
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WCP: The Dual Economy
Increasing inequality has squeezed many Americans out of the middle class and into the working class. In this week’s Working-Class Perspective, Victor Tan Chen reviews Peter Temin’s book, The Vanishing Middle Class: Prejudice and Power in the Dual Economy. Chen argues that Temin’s ‘duel economy’ framework illuminates the challenges facing our economy, but falls short of proposing realistic solutions for the “corrupt and unresponsive political system” that he sketches out.
Category: Visiting Scholars
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WCP: The Work Lives of Uber Drivers Are Worse Than You Think
Uber promises freedom and flexibility to drivers but instead delivers risk, exploitation, and low wages that compel drivers to work long and inconvenient hours. That is what Katie Wells, Kafui Attoh, and Declan Cullen discovered by conducting a groundbreaking series of interviews with 40 Uber drivers in the DC area, highlighted in this week’s Working-Class Perspective.
Category: Visiting Scholars
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WCP: Women Hold the Keys to New Working-Class Prosperity
Pundits use ‘working class’ as a shorthand for white blue-collar men, but the American worker today is just as likely to be a woman of color in the service or healthcare industry. In this week’s Working-Class Perspective, Lane Windham makes the case for promoting women’s leadership in the labor movement and introduces an ambitious project seeking to do just that.
Categories: Visiting Scholars, Women Innovating Labor Leadership