Our Daily Bread Wages Workers & the Political Economy of the American West

A wage is more than a simple fee in exchange for labor, argues Geoff Mann. It is also a political arena in which working people's identity, culture, and politics are negotiated and developed. Mann examines struggles over wages to reveal ways in which the wage becomes a critical component in the making of social hierarchies of race, gender, and citizenship. Taking three wage disputes in the natural resources industry as his case studies, Mann demonstrates that wage negotiation is not simply emblematic of economic conflict over the distribution of income but also represents critical contests in the cultural politics of identity under capitalism.

This remarkable work combines broad theoretical expertise and rich historical case studies.

—David Roediger, University of Illinois

"Brilliantly argued and beautifully written."

— Journal of Historical Geography

"Profoundly theoretical and compellingly argued . . . a work of stunning originality."

— Labor Studies Journal

"Brilliant . . . An incisive and convincing argument that places struggles over the wage relationships right at the heart of the 'cultural politics of capitalism.'"

— New Labor Forum

"Provocative and stimulating."

— The Annals of Iowa

[A] book whose brilliance is enhanced by its accessible writing and attention to the everyday. . . . Our Daily Bread should be adopted in courses across the disciplines. Highly recommended!

—Howard Winant, University of California, Santa Barbara

"Should prove of interest not only to economists, economic geographers, and labor historians, but also to those engaged in, for instance, cultural studies and political theory."

-Environment and Planning

A wage is more than a simple fee in exchange for labor, argues Geoff Mann. Beyond being a quantitative reflection of productivity or bargaining power, a wage is a political arena in which working people's identity, culture, and politics are negotiated and developed. In Our Daily Bread, Mann examines struggles over wages to reveal ways in which the wage becomes a critical component in the making of social hierarchies of race, gender, and citizenship.

Combining a fresh analysis of radical political economy with a critical assessment of the role of white men in North American labor politics, Mann addresses the issue of class politics and places the problem of interests squarely at the center of political economy. Rejecting the idea that interests are self-evident or unproblematic, Mann argues that workers' interests, and thus wage politics, are the product of the ongoing effort by wage workers to focus on quality in a socioeconomic system that relentlessly quantifies. Taking three wage disputes in the natural resources industry as his case studies, Mann demonstrates that wage negotiation is not simply emblematic of economic conflict over the distribution of income but also represents critical contests in the cultural politics of identity under capitalism.

Geoff Mann is assistant professor of geography at Simon Fraser University.

Contents

Preface

1 The Wage, Cultural Politics, and the West

2 Against Equilibrium: The Politics of Measure

3 What's a Penny Worth?: Wages, Prices, and the American Working Man

4 What's in a Day's Wage?: Raced Work and the Social Production of Skill

5 Who Is a Wage Worker?: Worker-Producers and the Wage-Price

6 The Wage and Workers' Interests

Conclusion: The Wage, Our Daily Bread

Notes

Bibliography

Index