Book Review: Prisoners of the American Dream: Politics and Economy in the History of the U.S. Working Class

1988 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 143-146
Author(s):  
John Mcdermott
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
American Dream ◽  
History Of ◽  
The U.S

scholarly journals Nation Dreaming: A Consideration of the American Dream in Poland, the U.S., and among Polish Americans

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 82
Author(s):  
Sandra L. Hanson ◽  
John K. White
Keyword(s):  
American Dream ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
American Exceptionalism ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Status Mobility ◽  
History Of ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The U.S

This paper examines the cooperation and influences between Poland and the U.S on their respective dreams, including the influence of the American Dream on Polish Americans and their potential distinctness from those who remain in Poland. Attitudes involving the American Dream that are examined include beliefs about freedom, liberty, democracy, getting ahead, status/mobility, and inequality. Although scholars have compared these belief systems across countries, there has been no distinct focus on Poland and the U.S., and those who immigrate between these countries. A conceptual framework that combines the American Dream, American exceptionalism, and beliefs about inequality guides the research. Data from the General Social Survey and the World Values Survey are used to answer the research questions. Findings show that Polish Americans agree with other Americans on a majority of items measuring elements of the American Dream. However, Americans and Poles have significantly different opinions on each of the American Dream items. Usually, (but not always) it is Americans who are more supportive of the American Dream. When considering the three groups, Polish Americans, Americans, and Poles, our conclusions suggest a trend where Polish Americans are a hybrid of other Americans and Poles when it comes to their views on the Dream. However, the differences often run in the direction that Polish Americans’ views are more like other Americans and distinct from Poles. Conclusions and implications are provided within the historical context of the long history of cooperation between the U.S. and Poland in fights for freedom and democracy.

scholarly journals Book Review: The Spirit of Marikana: The Rise of Insurgent Trade Unionism in South Africa by Luke Sinwell with Siphiwe Mbatha

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip Broster
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Working Class ◽  
South African ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Economic Freedom ◽  
The Past ◽  
Trade Unionism ◽  
History Of ◽  
South African Police

Despite its title, this book does not look exclusively at the massacre that occurred at Marikana on 16 August 2012, when South African police officers shot and killed 34 striking mineworkers and wounded 78 others. Rather, it places that event in the context of a longer, larger struggle for dignity and economic freedom by the working class in South Africa. The authors did not do this to trivialise this significant event but to implore the reader to recognise that it was one moment, one particular incident in a long history of struggle and conflict, one that is not necessarily more important than another. As such, it pursues what George Lipsitz has called the ‘long fetch’, looking into the past and identifying the forces that slowly shaped what may otherwise appear to have been sudden and inexplicable.1 The book does this by attempting to describe the tensions between the various ‘ordinary’ individuals – the striking employees of Lonmin’s platinum mine at Marikana – and their relationships to the labour collectives they started, helped lead, or held to account. It attempts to show how understanding these tensions is crucial to understanding the events that occurred at Marikana, and understanding South Africa as an economic project.

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