The British motor industry, 1945-77 : how workplace cultures shaped labour militancy
Car workersâ union activism has long held a strong grip on popular memories of the postÂ­war period. Working in the quintessential industry of modernity, and as the âaffluent workerâ par excellence, their labour militancy has been linked to narratives of economic decline and of rising workingÂ­class living standards. Yet despite their centrality to understanding of this period, historians have often given their workplace activism superficial treatment. Seeing this period as one where class solidarity was eroded by the rise of âprivatismâ, scholars have been unwilling to see novelty in collectivism. Consequently, car workersâ capacity for collective action has often been taken for granted, with mobilisation attributed to a combination of uncomplicated economic motivations, the last gasps of a declining âtraditional class consciousnessâ, and the effects of the postÂ­war settlement. Existing study has thus suppressed the changing forms of agency and subjectivity expressed by labour militancy, something this thesis rectifies by considering workplace activism in the motor industry as a specific historical creation of postÂ­war Britain, rather than a reflection of âtraditionâ. Studying the processes
Saunders, Jack Stacy
The British motor industry, 1945-77 : how workplace cultures shaped labour militancy. Car workersâ union activism has long held a strong grip on popular memories of the postÂ­war period. Working in the quintessential industry of modernity, and as the âaffluent workerâ par excellence, their labour militancy has been linked to narratives of economic decline and of rising workingÂ­class living standards. Yet despite their centrality to understanding of this period, historians have often given their workplace activism superficial treatment. Seeing this period as one where class solidarity was eroded by the rise of âprivatismâ, scholars have been unwilling to see novelty in collectivism. Consequently, car workersâ capacity for collective action has often been taken for granted, with mobilisation attributed to a combination of uncomplicated economic motivations, the last gasps of a declining âtraditional class consciousnessâ, and the effects of the postÂ­war settlement. Existing study has thus suppressed the changing forms of agency and subjectivity expressed by labour militancy, something this thesis rectifies by considering workplace activism in the motor industry as a specific historical creation of postÂ­war Britain, rather than a reflection of âtraditionâ. Studying the processes
british motor industry workplace culture shape labour militancy car worker union activism long hold strong grip popular memory period working quintessential industry modernity affluent worker par_excellence labour militancy link narrative economic_decline rise living standard yet_despite centrality period historian often give workplace activism superficial treatment seeing period class solidarity erode rise scholar unwilling see novelty consequently car worker capacity collective_action often take_grant mobilisation attribute combination economic motivation last decline traditional class_consciousness effect settlement existing_study thus suppress change form agency subjectivity express labour militancy something consider workplace activism motor industry specific historical creation britain rather reflection tradition studying process