Coalitions across the Class Divide: Lessons from the Labor, Peace, and Environmental Movements (ILR Press Book)
Since the 1960s, labor, environmental, and peace groups have clashed over jobs, defense contracts, and efforts to preserve the environment. Are these groups to remain divided, or do they possess elements that could lead to new and powerful political coalitions? Rose (urban and environmental policy, Tufts Univ.) sees opportunities for the latter view. Combining theories of class politics with cases studies, he surveys the problems and possibilities of forging working- and middle-class coalitions around peace, environmental protection, and economic security. Opening with an excellent discussion of the elements of cross-class interactions, he then presents case studies based on interviews with loggers, environmentalists, peace advocates, and defense workers about the history of cross-class political alliances. He ultimately sees greater chances for cross-class coalitions among labor and environmental activists than for labor and peaceniks. But he's still optimistic. Well researched and cogently argued, this is worth reading alongside Community Activism and Feminist Politics (Routledge, 1997) and The Struggle for Ecological Democracy (Guilford, 1998). For all collections.-Stephen L. Hupp, Swedenborg Memorial Lib., Urbana Univ., OHCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.