What Work Means

What Work Means

by Claudia Strauss
Epub (Kobo), Epub (Adobe)
Publication Date: 15/06/2024

Share This eBook:

  $34.99

What Work Means goes beyond the stereotypes and captures the diverse ways Americans view work as a part of a good life. Dispelling the notion of Americans as mere workaholics, Claudia Strauss presents a more nuanced perspective. While some live to work, others prefer a diligent 9-to-5 work ethic that is conscientious but preserves time for other interests. Her participants often enjoyed their jobs without making work the focus of their life. These findings challenge laborist views of waged work as central to a good life as well as post-work theories that treat work solely as exploitative and soul-crushing.


Drawing upon the evocative stories of unemployed Americans from a wide range of occupations, from day laborers to corporate managers, both immigrant and native-born, Strauss explores how diverse Americans think about the place of work in a good life, gendered meanings of breadwinning, accepting financial support from family, friends, and the state, and what the ever-elusive American dream means to them. By considering how post-Fordist unemployment experiences diverge from joblessness earlier, What Work Means paves the way for a historically and culturally informed discussion of work meanings in a future of teleworking, greater automation, and increasing nonstandard employment.

ISBN:
9781501775536
9781501775536
Category:
Social & cultural anthropology
Format:
Epub (Kobo), Epub (Adobe)
Publication Date:
15-06-2024
Language:
English
Publisher:
Cornell University Press

This item is delivered digitally

Reviews

Be the first to review What Work Means.