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 Working Toward WhitenessHow America's Immigrants Became White: The Strange Journey from Ellis Island to the Suburbsby David R. Roediger May 31, 2005
DescriptionAt the vanguard of the study of race and labor in American history, David Roediger is one of the most highly respected scholars in his field. He is also the author of the now-classic The Wages of Whiteness, a study of racism in the development of a white working class in nineteenth-century America. In Working Toward Whiteness, he continues that history into the twentieth century, recounting how American ethnic groups that are considered white today, such as Jewish-, Italian-, and Polish-Americans, once occupied a confused racial status in their new country. While some historians have claimed that these immigrants were “white on arrival,” Roediger paints a very different picture, showing that it wasn’t until the 1920s (ironically, just when immigration laws became much more restrictive), that these ethnic groups definitively became part of white America, primarily thanks to the nascent labor movement and a rise in home-buying. From ethnic slurs to racially restrictive covenants —the real estate agreements that ensured all-white neighborhoods—Working Toward Whiteness explores the murky realities of race in twentieth-century America. In this masterful history, which is sure to be a key text in its field, David Roediger charts the strange transformation of these new immigrants into the “white ethnics” of America today. Reviews“Whiteness studies can enable us to see American history in a wholly new light, and for the development of this field we must thank Roediger . . . full of thought-provoking anecdotes and observations.” “. . . carefully constructed and referenced . . .” "Roediger's book tills some major historical ground." "Working Toward Whiteness is a tour de force. A pioneer in the field of 'whiteness studies,' David Roediger has presented us with a synthesis of a decade of scholarship (his own and that of others) inspired by the question: how were the new immigrants 'whitened'? Roediger marshals vast knowledge extending from social and labor history to popular culture and the role of the state. His nuanced judgments are attuned to the complexity and ambiguity of the subject. While not the last word on the matter, this book will be the point-of-departure for future studies of 'whiteness.'" "Drawing upon social and literary history, policy records and popular culture, Roediger carries to the middle of the twentieth century his story of how immigrants to the United States from Europe secured their place in the 'white race'--and at what cost to themselves, others, and the hope of creating a genuine non-racial democracy in the developing industrial El Dorado. Up to the highest standards of scholarship, Working Toward Whiteness is written with the author's usual grace and human sympathy." "In an increasingly crowded and contentious scholarly field, David Roediger again finds fresh observations in unexpected places. Working toward Whiteness insists on the power of words without losing sight of the messiness of everyday life--a complexity that ever-changing terminologies of race and ethnicity have failed to simplify. Roediger is equally adept at revealing race under construction in popular culture, in the workplace and on the street corner, and in the offices of social scientists and policy-makers. His provocative interpretation of the New Deal and of immigration restriction will generate new research and spark much debate." "David Roediger has given us another of our most compelling, incisive, and elegant analyses of racial subjugation and privilege-in-the-making in the United States. Working Toward Whiteness is a brilliant investigation of that historical zone where institutions, ideas, and street-level experiences meet and give form to one another. It may be Roediger’s most powerful contribution yet. An exemplary work." Selling TerritoryWorld |
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