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The White working class : what everyone needs to know / Justin Gest.

Van Pelt Library E184.A1 G424 2018
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Format:
Book
Author/Creator:
Gest, Justin, author.
Series:
What everyone needs to know
Language:
English
Subjects (All):
White people--United States--Social conditions.
White people.
White people--Great Britain--Social conditions.
Working class--United States--Social conditions.
Working class.
Working class--Great Britain--Social conditions.
Working class white people--United States--Social conditions.
Working class white people.
Working class white people--Great Britain--Social conditions.
White people--Social condition.
Working class--Social conditions.
Working class white people--Social conditions.
Social conditions.
Great Britain.
United States.
Physical Description:
xiii, 194 pages ; 21 cm.
Place of Publication:
New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2018]
Summary:
In a wave of revolutionary populism, far right parties have scored victories across the transatlantic political world: Britain voted to leave the European Union, the United States elected President Donald Trump to enact an "America First" agenda, and Radical Right movements are threatening Europe's Political establishment in elections across the continent. In the midst of this rebellion, new consciousness has emerged among white-working class people, who not so long ago could take their political, economic, and cultural, primacy for granted. In this volume, Justin Gest provides the context for understanding this large group of people. He begins by explaining what "white working class" means in terms of demographics, history, and geography, as well as the ways in which this group defines itself and has been defined by others. Gest also addresses whether white identity is on the rise, why white people perceive themselves as marginalized, and the roles of racism and xenophobia in white consciousness. Finally, he looks at the political attitudes, voting behavior, and prospects for the future of the white working class. This accessible and consequential political constituencies today. Book jacket.
Contents:
1 Introduction and Definitions 1
What does it mean to be "white"? 1
What does it mean to be "working class"? 6
How do these understandings change across countries? 9
What are the narratives of the white working class across time? 14
What are the demographics of white working-class people? 26
Where do white working-class people live? 29
2 White Working-Class People and Identity 37
Is white identity on the rise? 37
Why do white working-class people feel marginalized? 43
Is it reasonable to think of white working-class people as a "minority"? 51
Why is immigration so pivotal to white working-class politics? 58
Is white working-class angst merely racism? 63
3 White Working-Class Attitudes and Beliefs 67
What are white working-class partisan trends? 67
What are white working-class policy ideologies and attitudes? 75
Do white working-class people consume fewer government resources than others? 92
Are white working-class people losing jobs to immigrants and minority groups? 99
What drives white working-class tolerance and intolerance of ethnic minorities? 105
4 White Working-Class People and Voting 110
What are white working-class voting trends over time? 110
Why do white working-class people support Donald Trump and Radical flight parties? 115
Will Trumpism outlast Donald Trump? 122
How will white working-class people change the Republican Party? 125
Do white working-class people vote against their own interests? 129
5 Public Debates about White Working-Class People 132
Was the white working class ever "on top"? 132
Are white working-class people "trapped" in poverty? 137
How has the decline in unions affected white working-class politics? 140
What does the left have to do to win working-class white votes? 146
Can white working-class problems be solved? 155.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Other Format:
Online version: Gest, Justin. White working class.
ISBN:
9780190861407
0190861401
9780190861414
019086141X
OCLC:
1012635417

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