Narratives at Work
Women, Men, Unionization, and the Fashioning of Identities
Description
In February, 1948, a group of fish and blueberry processors formed the exclusively female, Ladies' Cold Storage Workers Union at Job Brothers fish plant in St. John's, Newfoundland. Unusual for the time, this organization was founded in the context of structural and social change in the Newfoundland fishery that altered the social relations of paid and unpaid work for women fish plant labourers. Cullum carefully explores this specific labour process and provides an open reading of the workers' narratives; a study of how the women of Job Brothers recounted stories of their work and domestic lives, and thus fashioned shifting identities as gendered, classed, and racialized subjects.
Reviews
"A highly enjoyable read and an exceptionally well-executed qualitative investigation into an important and interesting subject. "
- Helga Kristin Hallgrimsdottir, Newfoundland and Labrador Studies
"This book makes a unique and valuable contribution to the literature on critical studies of work, labour history and feminist qualitative research methodology. "
- Bonnie Slade, Resources for Feminist Research
"[Cullum's] study succeeds through example in forcefully reminding us that people's lives and experiences are complex and their memories and personal histories are shaped by many layers within our social worlds. "
- Ingrid Botting, International Journal of Maritime History