Death and Rebirth of the American Mill Town

Dawley, Alan

Essay on the divisions of power and labor in industrialized American economies - more specifically, mill towns - as transformations of earlier forms of authority in America. Uses the thought-work of Marx, Durkheim, and Weber, as well as the social critics and historians who have applied these thinkers' theories to the historical present. From the author: "The problem of power in nineteenth century mill towns rests on a conflict between employer absolutism and the democratic rights of the employees. The treatment of power in recent community studies has been inadequate. This is particularly true in works influenced by symbolic anthropology, where the problem is seen to have been resolved in a consensual value system. However, the persistence of conflict in strikes and disorder compels an examination of the mechanisms of domination, as well as legitimacy. To this end, the ideas of Marx and Weber offer more valuable guidance than those of Durkheim."

1981 Autumn - 1982 Spring

en

Journal Article

19th and 20th centuries; United States

Labour/Le Travail

0700-3862

2025-08-09 00:00:00