Soapbox Rebellion

The Hobo Orator Union and the Free Speech Fights of the Industrial Workers of the World, 1909-1916

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Language Arts, Public Speaking, Rhetoric, Communication
Cover of the book Soapbox Rebellion by Matthew S. May, University of Alabama Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Matthew S. May ISBN: 9780817386962
Publisher: University of Alabama Press Publication: October 15, 2013
Imprint: University Alabama Press Language: English
Author: Matthew S. May
ISBN: 9780817386962
Publisher: University of Alabama Press
Publication: October 15, 2013
Imprint: University Alabama Press
Language: English

Soapbox Rebellion, a new critical history of the free speech fights of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), illustrates how the lively and colorful soapbox culture of the “Wobblies” generated novel forms of class struggle.

 

From 1909 to 1916, thousands of IWW members engaged in dozens of fights for freedom of speech throughout the American West. The volatile spread and circulation of hobo agitation during these fights amounted to nothing less than a soapbox rebellion in which public speech became the principal site of the struggle of the few to exploit the many. While the fights were not always successful, they did produce a novel form of fluid union organization that offers historians, labor activists, and social movement scholars a window into an alternative approach to what it means to belong to a union. Matthew May coins the phrase “Hobo Orator Union” to characterize these collectives.

 

Soapbox Rebellion highlights the methodological obstacles to recovering a workers’ history of public address; closely analyzes the impact of hobo oratorical performances; and discusses the implications of the Wobblies’ free speech fights for understanding grassroots resistance and class struggle today—in an era of the decline of the institutional business union model and workplace contractualism.

 

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Soapbox Rebellion, a new critical history of the free speech fights of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), illustrates how the lively and colorful soapbox culture of the “Wobblies” generated novel forms of class struggle.

 

From 1909 to 1916, thousands of IWW members engaged in dozens of fights for freedom of speech throughout the American West. The volatile spread and circulation of hobo agitation during these fights amounted to nothing less than a soapbox rebellion in which public speech became the principal site of the struggle of the few to exploit the many. While the fights were not always successful, they did produce a novel form of fluid union organization that offers historians, labor activists, and social movement scholars a window into an alternative approach to what it means to belong to a union. Matthew May coins the phrase “Hobo Orator Union” to characterize these collectives.

 

Soapbox Rebellion highlights the methodological obstacles to recovering a workers’ history of public address; closely analyzes the impact of hobo oratorical performances; and discusses the implications of the Wobblies’ free speech fights for understanding grassroots resistance and class struggle today—in an era of the decline of the institutional business union model and workplace contractualism.

 

More books from University of Alabama Press

Cover of the book Stars Fell on Alabama by Matthew S. May
Cover of the book American Drama in the Age of Film by Matthew S. May
Cover of the book The Origins of Agriculture by Matthew S. May
Cover of the book The Slaves Who Defeated Napoleon by Matthew S. May
Cover of the book Writing Religion by Matthew S. May
Cover of the book Signs of Power by Matthew S. May
Cover of the book Amulets, Effigies, Fetishes, and Charms by Matthew S. May
Cover of the book Race and Culture in New Orleans Stories by Matthew S. May
Cover of the book American Science in the Age of Jackson by Matthew S. May
Cover of the book Germany in Central America by Matthew S. May
Cover of the book Archaeology at Shiloh Indian Mounds, 1899-1999 by Matthew S. May
Cover of the book The Seven Autopsies of Nora Hanneman by Matthew S. May
Cover of the book Ad Hominem Arguments by Matthew S. May
Cover of the book Cultures of Doing Good by Matthew S. May
Cover of the book Lizards and Snakes of Alabama by Matthew S. May
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy