Any sociological discussion of oppression and liberation must start from the con

Any sociological discussion of oppression and liberation must start from the concept of power: the structures and ideologies that profoundly limit our options and expose some to penalty and others to privilege. In Marilyn Frye’s essay on oppression, she reminds us that “we all exist with boundaries, limitations, or barriers, but only some of us are ‘caged’ by our membership in groups defined by social hierarchy.
Class is the first social hierarchy we are examining, specifically looking at the working class and how capitalist power oppresses one group of individuals. Capitalist power can be defined as ability of some to set the terms of our wages, salaries, working conditions, and all the other resources we need to live “the good life.” This power ultimately stems from our solution to the economic problem: production, distribution, and principles of consumption guided by those who own and control and must make profit for the economy to function.
Jennifer Silva, in her book, Coming Up Short: Working Class Adulthood in an Age of Uncertainty, introduces us to the kind of capitalism – neoliberal capitalism – we are now enmeshed in and to a sample of the working class who are on the receiving end of that capitalism. These are young adults, both Black and white, from different parts of the country living their lives in neoliberal capitalism.
I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say that she paints a depressing but complex picture of working-class life in these chapters, characterized by the ‘hardening selves” in a “mood economy.” For this paper I want you to “honor the picture she paints” but also “honor the struggles” that the working class pursues to move toward liberation. [This is the big point of your paper – Let me provide some guidance about how to get there.]
First, the reader must know something about the nature of neoliberal capitalism, that is, the changes that have taken place in both the economy and the state (government) that increased the gap between the top and bottom of the class structure and decreased mobility up that structure. Silva (as well as my notes and class rant) provides an overview on pages 13 – 18. Summarize those changes. [Additional information can be found in a supplemental reader on Blackboard by Robert Perrucci, The New Economy, pp. 45-53]
Second, the reader needs to know how the young adult members of the working class have responded to neoliberal capitalism. In class, we tossed around concepts like increased risk, individualism, betrayals, and disappointments. All these concepts can be subsumed or discussed using Silva’s ideas of ‘hardening selves’ and ‘the mood economy.’ Define these concepts and, most importantly, connect neoliberalism to these two concepts by using specific examples from chapters 4 and 5 from Silva’s book (at least two from each chapter).
Third, Silva’s working class and its attempts to capture injured dignity through therapeutic discourses fail to acknowledge that, sometimes and under great duress, the working class uses other discourses and paths of action to gain some control over their lives. Use the stories of working-class mobilization both at a hospital in Vermont several decades ago and at Starbucks more recently to make that point. In particular, answer two questions: 1) why do workers decide to “throw caution to the wind” to act not on the basis of individualism but on the notion that “an injury to one is an injury to all?” 2) What specific obstacles do they face when they attempt to organize? Use specific examples from each source to address these questions.
Referencing guidelines for the paper
1 If you use a direct quote in the paper: “direct quote” (Silva 2015 p.18).
2. If you mention a source but do not quote: “As Silva (2015) argues…..”
3. References at the end: see below.
Frye, Marilyn, Oppression. Wadsworth 2000.
Perrucci, Robert. The New Economy. Roman and Littlefield. 2014.
Fantasia, Rick. Cultures of Solidarity. University of California Press. 1988
Silva, Jennifer. Coming Up Short: Working-Class Adulthood in an Age of Uncertainty. Oxford University Press. 2015
Stack, Megan K. “Inside Starbucks’ Dirty War Against Organized Labor.” New York Times July 21, 2023.