Manufacturing militance : workers' movements in Brazil and South Africa, 1970-1985 / Gay W. Seidman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Seidman, G.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Labor movement--Brazil--History--20th century.

Labor movement.

Labor movement--South Africa--History--20th century.

Labor unions--Brazil--History--20th century.

Labor unions.

Labor unions--South Africa--History--20th century.

History.

South Africa.

Brazil.

Physical Description:

x, 361 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Berkeley, Cal. : University of California Press, [1994]

Summary:

Broad-based labor movements have not been common phenomena in late-industrializing societies. In both Brazil and South Africa, however, working-class movements in the 1970s challenged authoritarian rule. Even more surprisingly, these movements displayed marked similarities, despite obvious differences in their political, legal, and racial contexts.

In Manufacturing Militance, Seidman explores the emergence of these movements. Tracing the politics of labor back to the 1960s, Seidman shows how workers in Brazilian factories went from strikes to political protests, relying on support from their communities. Drawing on primary materials from the South African labor movement, she shows how black industrial workers redefined the struggle against apartheid, prompting community groups to incorporate issues of class identity and exploitation in their understanding of racial oppression.

Seidman challenges prevailing theories of development, of the dynamics of labor movements, and of transitions from authoritarian rule. In the process, she develops a broad analysis of how industrialization strategies shape the opportunities for labor.

Manufacturing Militance makes a unique and controversial contribution to political and social theory and to our understanding of industrializing societies.

Contents:

1. Militant Labor Movements in Brazil and South Africa 15

Historical Differences 20

Patterns of Mobilization 29

A Comparative Puzzle 41

2. Conditions for Industrial Growth, 1960-1973 43

Brazilian Industrialization Strategies 48

Industrialization in South Africa 69

3. Business Opposition and Its Limits 91

Brazil: Collapse of an Alliance? 99

Business Opposition in South Africa 114

4. The Emergence of "New Unionism" 143

Brazil: "Maquinas Paradas e Bracos Cruzados" 150

South Africa: "The Spirit Lives" 171

Labor Militance in Brazil and South Africa 193

5. Community Struggles and the Redefinition of Citizenship 197

Brazil: "O Povo em Movimento" 203

South Africa: Community, Race, and Class 227

Explaining Similar Dynamics 258

Militant Workers' Movements in Comparative Perspective 264

Labor Movements in Late Industrializers 272.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0520075196

0520083032

OCLC:

26973684