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History from the Bottom Up and the Inside Out: Ethnicity, Race, and Identity in Working-Class History
In History from the Bottom Up and the Inside Out James R. Barrett rethinks the boundaries of American social and labor history by investigating the ways in which working-class, radical, and immigrant people's personal lives intersected with their activism and religious, racial, ethnic, and class identities. Concerned with carving out space for individuals in the story of the working class, Barrett examines all aspects of individuals' subjective experiences, from their personalities, relationships, and emotions to their health and intellectual pursuits. Barrett's subjects include American communists, "blue-collar cosmopolitans"—such as well-read and well-traveled porters, sailors, and hoboes—and figures in early twentieth-century anarchist subculture. He also details the process of the Americanization of immigrant workers via popular culture and their development of class and racial identities, asking how immigrants learned to think of themselves as white. Throughout, Barrett enriches our understanding of working people’s lives, making it harder to objectify them as nameless cogs operating within social and political movements. In so doing, he works to redefine conceptions of work, migration, and radical politics.
304 pages, Paperback
Published August 4, 2017
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About the author
James R. Barrett
18 books2 followersJames R. Barrett is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Illinois.
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August 8, 2017
History from the Bottom Up & the Inside Out by James Barrett is a collection of essays that all related to working class history and explore issues of ethnicity, race, religion and identity. This is a personal and professional book, which is nice integration since Barrett reveals how his how Catholic background, relationships with siblings and parents, growing up in different sections of working-class Chicago shapes his perspective and in fact how he raises questions about traditional approaches to the working class. A student of David Montgomery at Pitt, Barrett is part of the new generation of labor historians who broke ground in both integrating race into the study of the topic and looking more at the personal lives and community activities of workers. There is a great piece that explores the cosmopolitan nature of workers, looking at how they learn from a wide range of experiences with people and places, especially sailors, who read while at sea. Included is a look at Pullman Porters, a major occupation of Black men during the early part of the century. Their positions were contradictory, since they had to “serve” but also like Black women domestics, learned by being in White spaces. These men also shared their knowledge with members of the community that did not travel.
Barrett also looks at writers of the era, who learned from workers but also like Hutchins Hapgood, filtered their observations through their own ideologies and positions. He also looks at the nature of autobiographies of members of the communist party. There are gender differences, since women are more likely to write about relationships and other aspects of life, instead of focusing on the work of organizing.
I had read “Inbetween Peoples” before and it is still an important contribution to thinking about race and ethnicity in the working class, as groups meet in cities, but also have historical experiences that they use to frame what they see in this country. We also are reminded that there is no one story.
Looking at Irish contributions to American culture via music, plays and writers was a gem, especially because I knew little about the urban culture of Vaudeville and the development of musicals and plays. The stage was shared with many and there was comedy to help people negotiate the urban streets and workplaces where they encounter people from other groups. In those early days people are dressing as members of other groups.
The essays are compelling and I learned much. They also give me pause during this historical moment when overt racism and much stereotyping about different groups appear to be tolerated.
Barrett also looks at writers of the era, who learned from workers but also like Hutchins Hapgood, filtered their observations through their own ideologies and positions. He also looks at the nature of autobiographies of members of the communist party. There are gender differences, since women are more likely to write about relationships and other aspects of life, instead of focusing on the work of organizing.
I had read “Inbetween Peoples” before and it is still an important contribution to thinking about race and ethnicity in the working class, as groups meet in cities, but also have historical experiences that they use to frame what they see in this country. We also are reminded that there is no one story.
Looking at Irish contributions to American culture via music, plays and writers was a gem, especially because I knew little about the urban culture of Vaudeville and the development of musicals and plays. The stage was shared with many and there was comedy to help people negotiate the urban streets and workplaces where they encounter people from other groups. In those early days people are dressing as members of other groups.
The essays are compelling and I learned much. They also give me pause during this historical moment when overt racism and much stereotyping about different groups appear to be tolerated.
Displaying 1 of 1 review