On the Line: Slaughterhouse Lives and the Making of the New South

On the Line: Slaughterhouse Lives and the Making of the New South
ISBN-10
0520282965
ISBN-13
9780520282964
Series
On the Line
Category
Social Science
Pages
270
Language
English
Published
2015-12-08
Publisher
Univ of California Press
Author
Vanesa Ribas

Description

“How does one put into words the rage that workers feel when supervisors threaten to replace them with workers who will not go to the bathroom in the course of a fourteen-hour day of hard labor, even if it means wetting themselves on the line?”—From the Preface In this gutsy, eye-opening examination of the lives of workers in the New South, Vanesa Ribas, working alongside mostly Latino/a and native-born African American laborers for sixteen months, takes us inside the contemporary American slaughterhouse. Ribas, a native Spanish speaker, occupies an insider/outsider status there, enabling her to capture vividly the oppressive exploitation experienced by her fellow workers. She showcases the particular vulnerabilities faced by immigrant workers—a constant looming threat of deportation, reluctance to seek medical attention, and family separation—as she also illuminates how workers find connection and moments of pleasure during their grueling shifts. Bringing to the fore the words, ideas, and struggles of the workers themselves, On The Line underlines how deep racial tensions permeate the factory, as an overwhelmingly minority workforce is subject to white dominance. Compulsively readable, this extraordinary ethnography makes a powerful case for greater labor protection, especially for our nation’s most vulnerable workers.

Get the book

Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Search the book
eBay.com
eBay.com
Search the book

Other editions

Similar books

  • On the Line
    On the Line
    By Serena Williams

    One of the biggest stars in tennis, Serena Williams has captured every major title.

  • Luck on the Line
    Luck on the Line
    By Zoraida Córdova

    James loves being known as Boston’s hottest bad boy in the kitchen, but if he wants to build a reputation as a serious chef, he has to make this restaurant work and keep his scandalous past out of the headlines.

  • On the Line
    On the Line
    By Kari-Lynn Winters

    Jackson doubts that he can be a great hockey player like the rest of his family, but his confidence soars when he organizes an equipment drive to collect hockey gear for his teammates so they can all participate in a local tournament

  • The Line
    The Line
    By Paula Bossio

    When a little girl discovers the end of a line, she follows it as it transforms into all sorts of unexpected things in order to discover who is at the other end.

  • Heart on the Line (Ladies of Harper's Station Book #2)
    Heart on the Line (Ladies of Harper's Station Book #2)
    By Karen Witemeyer

    " RT Book Reviews on No Other Will Do "Witemeyer blends history, suspense, and romance with touches of humor. Women will enjoy this story that proves heroes come in unexpected shapes and sizes and not always on a white charger.

  • Leadership on the Line, With a New Preface: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Change
    Leadership on the Line, With a New Preface: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Change
    By Ronald Heifetz, Marty Linsky

    Whether you're a parent or a politician, a CEO or a community activist, this practical book shows how you can exercise leadership and survive and thrive to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

  • The Line
    The Line
    By Teri Hall

    The voice is asking for help. Who sent the message? Why is her mother so protective? And to what lengths is Rachel willing to go in order to do what she thinks is right? View our classroom guide for The Line by Teri Hall

  • Nikki on the Line
    Nikki on the Line
    By Barbara Carroll Roberts

    Nikki wants to be a basketball star . . . but between school stress, friend drama, and babysitting woes, will she be able to make it on her new team?

  • On the Line
    On the Line
    By Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari

    The first presentation of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari's concept of the "rhizome." A rhizome may be broken, shattered at a given spot, but it will start up again on...

  • Girls on the Line
    Girls on the Line
    By Jennie Liu

    Told in two voices, Luli and Yun, raised in an orphanage to age sixteen, work together in a factory until Yun, pregnant, disappears and Luli must confront the dangers of the outside world to find her.