Archive: Rust Belt
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WCP: Blaming Workers Again
When GM announced in November that it planned to close five plants in the United States and Canada, many were quick to point the finger at those who will suffer the consequences: the workers. Why hadn’t they planned better? Gone to college? Moved to a different city? Voted differently? Made even more concessions with their union? In this week’s Working-Class Perspective, John Russo and Sherry Linkon explain why these ideas are wrong and why they matter.
Category: Visiting Scholars
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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: Hidden Anxieties of the White Working Class
To understand white working-class voters’ support for Trump, we have to consider not just their economic anxieties and political resentments, but also their cultural fears regarding the costs of elu
Category: Visiting Scholars
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WCP: Engaging the Unreachables
Since the dust from this election settled, many have reflected on the extent of their own participation in the process. This Working-Class Perspective features Jack Metzgar expressing regret for not
Category: Visiting Scholars
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WCP: Deindustrialization, Depopulation, and the Refugee Crisis
Although much of the discourse regarding the refugee crisis in the United States has focused on security concerns, the situation also has major economic implications. In this week's Working-Class Pe
Category: Visiting Scholars