What Work Means: Beyond the Puritan Work Ethic

Claudia Strauss

Book cover for What Work Means: Beyond the Puritan Work Ethic
Book cover for What Work Means: Beyond the Puritan Work Ethic
Book cover for What Work Means: Beyond the Puritan Work Ethic
Book cover for What Work Means: Beyond the Puritan Work Ethic

What Work Means: Beyond the Puritan Work Ethic

What Work Means: Beyond the Puritan Work Ethic

Claudia Strauss

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Description

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.

About the Author

Claudia Strauss is Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Pitzer College. She is the author of Making Sense of Public Opinion and coauthor of A Cognitive Theory of Cultural Meaning.

Publishing Information

Publisher: ILR Press
Pub date: 2024-06-15
Length: 372 pages

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