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Labor Geographies: Workers and the Landscapes of Capitalism
Discussions of the geographic transformations wrought by capitalism generally treat corporations as the primary agents of spatial change. We hear of billions of dollars flowing here, factories moving there, venture capitalists opening up new markets, and workers having to "take it or leave it." Yet labor too is increasingly thinking and acting geographically, whether by struggling to impose national contracts; building regional, national, or international links of solidarity; or engaging in debates over local economic development. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the emerging discipline of labor geography. Combining innovative theoretical analysis with empirical case studies from around the world, Herod examines the spatial contexts and scales in which workers live, organize, and work to address particular economic and political problems. The first book-length text of its kind, this is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in working-class life, workers' organizations, and the contemporary dynamics of capitalism.
352 pages, Paperback
First published September 24, 2001
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September 17, 2018
A solid, if somewhat repetitive look at the ways in which workers operating at the local scale can influence worldwide trends, including that towards globalization. Herod notes numerous examples of workers as agents in global change, for example US unions influencing labor relations in Latin America during the Cold War. I would have liked to have seen more evidence of debates over policy within the labor unions, but overall Herod's thesis is highly convincing. Space and scale are clearly intimately tied to, and indeed partly created by, labor struggles.
Quotes:
1.
“I argue both that geography plays a role in structuring workers' lives, and that workers and their organizations may play important roles in shaping landscapes as part of their social self reproduction.” (5)
2.
“Explaining the geography of capitalism cannot be done through a focus on the activities and structures of capital alone.”
“Rather than seeing “labor” as a spatially homogenous category, examining how different groups of workers face different challenges... provides a means of recognising that workers' interests may very considerably depending on the geographic context within which they find themselves.” (6)
3.
“Activities at such different scales should not been seen as mutually exclusive but, instead, as intimately connected- what happens locally shapes what happens globally, and vice versa... organizing locally can, in fact, be used effectively to shape the global processes of contemporary capitalism.” (9)
4.
“I argue not only that workers are not necessarily impotent in the face of global capital but also that they have frequently been actively involved in the very processes that are brining about an (apparently) globalizing world economic system.” (10)
Quotes:
1.
“I argue both that geography plays a role in structuring workers' lives, and that workers and their organizations may play important roles in shaping landscapes as part of their social self reproduction.” (5)
2.
“Explaining the geography of capitalism cannot be done through a focus on the activities and structures of capital alone.”
“Rather than seeing “labor” as a spatially homogenous category, examining how different groups of workers face different challenges... provides a means of recognising that workers' interests may very considerably depending on the geographic context within which they find themselves.” (6)
3.
“Activities at such different scales should not been seen as mutually exclusive but, instead, as intimately connected- what happens locally shapes what happens globally, and vice versa... organizing locally can, in fact, be used effectively to shape the global processes of contemporary capitalism.” (9)
4.
“I argue not only that workers are not necessarily impotent in the face of global capital but also that they have frequently been actively involved in the very processes that are brining about an (apparently) globalizing world economic system.” (10)
Displaying 1 of 1 review