Working Class: Challenging Myths About Blue-Collar Labor
Jeff Torlina | | ISBN: 978-1-58826-756-6 $65.00 |
2011/223 pages/LC: 2011000465 |
DESCRIPTION
Jeff Torlina challenges the conventional wisdom about the attitudes of blue-collar men toward their work.
Torlina highlights the voices of pipe fitters, welders, carpenters, painters, locomotive assemblers, and factory workers to reveal the complexities—and advantages—of working-class life. This book is a penetrating critique of many commonly held assumptions, and a compelling case for a new understanding of our social class system.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeff Torlina, now retired, was assistant professor of sociology at Utah Valley University.
CONTENTS
- The Meaning of Work.
- The Promise of Blue-Collar Labor.
- How We Came to Devalue Blue-Collar Work.
- Blue-Collar Views on the White-Collar World.
- Conceptions of Class Hierarchy.
- Occupational Prestige.
- Making Sense of Working-Class Attitudes.
- False Dichotomies.
- Reclaiming the Value of Labor.
- Recasting the Image of Blue-Collar Work.
- Conclusions and Implications.
- Appendix: Methodology and Data.
"Puts forth a compelling paradigm shift for the way social class is conceptualized, specifically in regard to the working class."—Danielle Rhubart, Rural Sociology
"This book is a treasure trove of provocative insights, observations, and theoretical arguments. Torlina's work has crucial broader application for the study of working-class life in general and for the field of Working-Class Studies in particular."—Barbara Jensen, Working Class Notes