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The Skilled Worker and Working-Class Protest

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 January 2016

Michael Hanagan
Affiliation:
Vanderbilt University
Charles Stephenson
Affiliation:
State University of New York at Brockport

Extract

Not so long ago the skilled worker was regarded by labor historians as the black sheep of the labor movement, and the artisan's attempt to preserve his position and to retain his shop-floor autonomy was condemned out of hand. No more. Spurred on by the studies of E. P. Thompson in England, Albert Soboul in France, and George Rudé in both countries, historians have discovered the skilled worker's importance in labor protest and rebellion; everywhere artisans have been found in the midst of what once were thought to be proletarian crowds. The continuing inspiration of Thompson, Soboul, and Rudé is apparent in all of the articles in this collection, although they are by no means simple reiterations of these historians’ insights. Viewing working-class life from the perspective of an entire century and two continents, the following essays suggest new generalizations and, inevitably, raise fresh questions.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Social Science History Association 1980 

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References

Notes

1. Calhoun's article on the Lancashire textile region in the 1820s and 1830s will appear in Social Science History, Vol. 4, No. 3 (August 1980).

2. This article will appear in Vol. 4, No. 3 (August 1980) of Social Science History.