Nations and Nationalism or Immigrants Unions and the New U S Labor Market

Nations and Nationalism

Author: Ernest Gellner

From reviews of the first edition:

"Brilliant, provocative . . . a great book."—New Statesman

"An important book . . . It is a new starting line from which all subsequent discussions of nationalism will have to begin."—New Society

"A better explanation than anyone has yet offered of why nationalism is such a prominent principle of political legitimacy today. This is a terse and forceful work . . . the product of great intellectual energy and an impressive range of knowledge."—Times Literary Supplement

"Periodically, an important book emerges that makes us, through the uniqueness of its theory, perceive history as we have not seen it before. Ernest Gellner has written such a volume. Students of nationalism will have to come to grips with his interpretation of the causes for the emergence of nationalism, since he has declared that most of the previous explanations are largely mythical."—American Historical Review

First published in 1983, Nations and Nationalism remains one of the most influential explanations of the emergence of nationalism ever written. This updated edition of Ernest Gellner's now-canonical work includes a new introductory essay from John Breuilly, tracing the way the field has evolved over the past two decades, and a bibliography of important work on nationalism since 1983.

Interesting textbook: Grundsätze der Mikroökonomie

Immigrants, Unions, and the New U. S. Labor Market

Author: Immanuel Ness

In recent years, New Yorkers have been surprised to see workers they had taken for granted-Mexicans in greengroceries, West African supermarket deliverymen and South Asian limousine drivers-striking, picketing, and seeking support for better working conditions. Suddenly, businesses in New York and the nation had changed and were now dependent upon low-paid immigrants to fill the entry-level jobs that few native-born Americans would take. Immigrants, Unions, and the New U.S. Labor Market tells the story of these workers' struggle for living wages, humane working conditions, and the respect due to all people. It describes how they found the courage to organize labor actions at a time when most laborers have become quiescent and while most labor unions were ignoring them. Showing how unions can learn from the example of these laborers, and demonstrating the importance of solidarity beyond the workplace, Immanuel Ness offers a telling look into the lives of some of America's newest immigrants.

Table of Contents:

1	Why new immigrants organize	1
2	The political economy of transnational labor in New York City : the context for immigrant worker militancy	13
3	Unions and immigrant worker organizing : new models for new workers	40
4	Mexican immigrants, class formation, and union organizing in New York's greengrocery industry	58
5	Francophone West African supermarket delivery workers autonomous union organizing outside of a union	96
6	Black-car drivers : industrial restructuring and new worker organizing	130
7	The post-September 11 economic crisis and the government crackdown on immigrant workers	162
8	Parallel organizing : immigrants and unions	181