Reinventing free labor : padrones and immigrant workers in the North American West, 1880-1930 / Gunther Peck.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Peck, Gunther

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Padrone system--North America--History.

Padrone system.

Right to labor--North America--History.

Right to labor.

Foreign workers, Greek--North America--History.

Foreign workers, Greek.

Foreign workers, Italian--North America--History.

Foreign workers, Italian.

Foreign workers, Mexican--North America--History.

Foreign workers, Mexican.

Greek Americans--Employment--West (U.S.)--History.

Greek Americans.

Miners--West (U.S.)--History.

Miners.

Italian Americans--Employment--History.

Italian Americans.

Mexican Americans--Employment--History.

Mexican Americans.

Railroad construction workers--North America--History.

Railroad construction workers.

Emigration and immigration.

History.

Mexican Americans--Employment.

Italian Americans--Employment.

North America--Emigration and immigration--History.

North America.

Penn Provenance:

Katz, Michael B., 1939-2014 (former owner)

Physical Description:

xiii, 293 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Other Title:

Padrone and immigrant workers in the North American West, 1880-1930

Place of Publication:

New York : Cambridge University Press, 2000.

Summary:

One of the most infamous villains in North America during the Progressive Era was the padrone, a mafia-like immigrant boss who allegedly enslaved his compatriots and kept them uncivilized, unmanly, and unfree. In this first-ever history of the padrone, Gunther Peck argues that they were not primitive men but rather thoroughly modern entrepreneurs who used corporations, the labor contract, and the right to quit to create far-flung coercive networks. Drawing on Greek, Spanish, and Italian language sources, Peck analyzes how immigrant workers emancipated themselves using the tools of padrone power to their own advantage.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 248-278) and index.

ISBN:

0521641608

9780521641609

0521778190

9780521778190

OCLC:

183338613