Red November, Black November: Culture and Community in the Industrial Workers of the World

by Salvatore Salerno

Overview

Red November, Black November is a study of the culture of the I. W. W. movement at the turn of the twentieth century. It analyzes the Wobblies' use of cultural expressions such as songs, poems, and cartoons as a means of educating and unifying workers, and as weapons in the struggle against the repressive social conditions of industrial development. The book emphasizes the important role played by immigrant activists, Wobbly artists, and intellectuals, offering a fascinating portrait of the complexity of pre-World War I labor radicalism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780791400890
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	07/15/1989
Series:	SUNY series in American Labor History
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Salvatore Salerno is Professor on the Community Faculty staff of Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Table of Contents

Illustrations

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1. Historians and the I.W.W.

2. The Myth of Frontier Origins

3. Anarchists at the Founding Convention

4. The I.W.W. and the C.G.T.

5. Art and Politics: Anarcho-Syndicalist Tactics in I.W.W. Art Forms

6. Wobbly Sensibility: Conclusions and Implications

Notes

Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

"This work is full of unexpected ramifications in relation to the existing scholarship. The indications of anarchist influence within the I. W. W. and the illustration of them through iconographic and textual readings are powerful sources of insight. The critique of existing scholarship is penetrating and very convincing. In my considered opinion, there are simply no books similar to this." — Paul Buhle, New York University

From the Publisher

Most of this study is concerned with establishing the importance of the I.W.W. as a counter movement that drew from diverse political and cultural groups. The role and contribution of immigrant intellectuals and other rank-and-file elements are discussed as are early affinities with European syndicalists and the significance of the I.W.W.'s art forms. Paper edition, $10.95, not seen. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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