Civic Labors

Civic Labors: Scholar Activism and Working Class Studies

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ABOUT THE BOOK

At the crossroads of writing, teaching, and living the struggle

Labor studies scholars and working-class historians have long worked at the crossroads of academia and activism. The essays in this collection examine the challenges and opportunities for engaged scholarship in the United States and abroad. A diverse roster of contributors discuss how participation in current labor and social struggles guides their campus and community organizing, public history initiatives, teaching, mentoring, and other activities. They also explore the role of research and scholarship in social change, while acknowledging that intellectual labor complements but never replaces collective action and movement building.

Contributors: Kristen Anderson, Daniel E. Atkinson, James R. Barrett, Susan Roth Breitzer, Susan Chandler, Sam Davies, Dennis Deslippe, Eric Fure-Slocum, Colin Gordon, Michael Innis-Jiménez, Stephanie Luce, Joseph A. McCartin, John W. McKerley, Matthew M. Mettler, Stephen Meyer, David Montgomery, Kim E. Nielsen, Peter Rachleff, Ralph Scharnau, Jennifer Sherer, Shelton Stromquist, Emily E. LB. Twarog, and John Williams-Searle.

“At once an introduction to the long tradition of engaged scholarship among labor historians and a guide to the richly varied ways many have found to make a difference today, Civic Labors is a perfectly timed treasure trove of inspiration.”–Nancy MacLean, author of Freedom Is Not Enough: The Opening of the American Workplace

“These essays provide illuminating insights into what it means to be an engaged academic and citizen of labor. Graced by Shelton Stromquist’s sharp essay and David Montgomery’s endearing comments, in this one volume we find a true community of scholars who seek to understand and change the world.”–Michael Honey, author of Going Down Jericho Road: The Memphis Strike, Martin Luther King’s Last Campaign