Research David Roediger

1 research

1.1 wages of whiteness
1.2 recent work
1.3 awards

research

roediger s research interests concern race , class in united states, although has written on radicalism in american history , politics.

in 1989, roediger , historian philip foner co-authored our own time: history of american labor , working day, book provides highly detailed account of movement shorten working day in united states. work broke new ground combining labor history study of culture , nature of work. book extended history of eight-hour day movement colonial times. authors argued debate on length of work-day or work-week has been central issue of american labor movement during periods of high growth.

the wages of whiteness

roediger s book, wages of whiteness: race , making of american working class, published in 1991. along alexander saxton s rise , fall of white republic(1990) , toni morrison s playing in dark: whiteness , literary imagination (1992), work cited starting point of contemporary whiteness studies.

theodore w. allen s “class struggle , origin of racial slavery: invention of white race (1975), pamphlet later expanded seminal two-volume work “the invention of white race,” vol. 1: “racial oppression , social control” (1994, 2012) , “the invention of white race,” vol. 2: “the origin of racial oppression in anglo-america” (1997, 2012); has been influential in field. allen later wrote of roediger s work:

...because of universal acceptance use in colleges , universities, has served single effective instrument in socially necessary consciousness-raising function of objectifying whiteness, , in popularizing race-as-a-social-construct thesis. 1 has been beneficiary of kind supportive comments him own efforts in field of historical investigation, undertake critical essay no other purpose furthering our common aim of disestablishment of white identity, , overthrow of white supremacism in general.

in work, roediger argued whiteness historical phenomenon in united states, many different ethnicities considered white not perceived such here. irish, example, roman catholics , rural areas, not considered white - meaning accepted members of anglo-american protestant majority society - until began distinguish black slaves , freedmen; new york draft riots of 1863, riots in philadelphia against black voting, , chicago race riot of 1919, ethnic irish prominent in violent confrontations against black americans, whom competed jobs, physical territory , political power. roediger believes struggle reflects emergence of modern theory of color consciousness, through notions of nations , races increasingly linked color primary category of human difference. roediger claims social construction of concept of white race in united states conscious effort slave owners gain distance enslaved, non-european , non-christian. in addition, white working peoples gained distance southern proletarian complements, slaves. 18th century, says, white had become well-established racial term in united states; end of 19th, had become all-encompassing one.

weaving economic theory, psychology, , histories of immigration, industrialization, class formation , slavery, roediger in work addressed has become common question in labor history, specifically, , american political culture more generally: why, historically, have working class blacks , whites not found common cause in shared suffering @ bottom of social ladder? (w.e.b. dubois posed question in seminal work, black reconstruction (1935), saw failure of labor in creating connections across racial lines.) in nineteenth-century context small-scale, autonomous craftsmen being replaced, inexorably, factory system - great consequences liberty of ordinary americans, roediger suggested workers embrace whiteness , caricatured representation of black slaves provided them meaningful symbolic wage, replacing status values of independence , craft skill workers.

this idea whiteness has enormous surplus value working class has influenced generation of scholars including, recently, cultural critic thomas frank. immediately, considered scholars have contributed analysts had observed splitting of civil rights consensus of national democratic party , shift among many of white working class vote republican ronald reagan president in 1980, pushing him victory.

wages of whiteness won merle curti award in 1992 organization of american historians, best work of social history in 1991.

recent work

roediger researching interrelation between labor management , formation of racial identities in u.s.

awards

1992, merle curti award book, wages of whiteness: race , making of american working class, organization of american historians.
1999, carlton c. qualey memorial award article, inbetween peoples, co-authored james barrett. award given immigration , ethnic history society best article in journal of american ethnic history.




^ theodore w. allen, class struggle , origin of racial slavery: invention of white race (hoboken: hoboken education project, 1975), republished in 2006 introduction jeffrey b. perry @ center study of working class life, suny, stony brook
^ theodore w. allen, invention of white race, vol. 1: racial oppression , social control (verso books, 1994, 2012)
^ theodore w. allen, “the invention of white race,” vol. 2: “the origin of racial oppression in anglo-america” (1997, 2012, isbn 978-1-84467-770-2)
^ theodore w. allen, on roediger’s wages of whiteness (revised edition) ( cultural logic, 2001).