THE IMPACT OF AMERICAN ECONOMIC DECISIONS ON COMMUNITY SOCIAL LIFE AND ASSOCIATIONAL PATTERNS: DILEMMAS OF PARENTING AND CITIZENSHIP IN A NEW JERSEY SUBURB.
Item
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Title
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THE IMPACT OF AMERICAN ECONOMIC DECISIONS ON COMMUNITY SOCIAL LIFE AND ASSOCIATIONAL PATTERNS: DILEMMAS OF PARENTING AND CITIZENSHIP IN A NEW JERSEY SUBURB.
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Identifier
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AAI8401939
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identifier
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8401939
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Creator
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KUENSTLER, GAIL BAUGHER.
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Contributor
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Eleanor Burke Leacock
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Date
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1982
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Anthropology, Cultural | American Studies
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Abstract
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This thesis describes the undermining of local community ties which is caused by corporate disinvestment and other economic changes in the Essex region. The informal and formal associations of a New Jersey suburb of working people are discussed as these associations are shaped by changes at the deepest structural levels of a world economic system. The impact of these changes on the social lives of a group of individuals and on the associational life of their locality is presented.;The disappearance of the rich associational life of the factory and its neighborhood, and the separation of the workplace and the residential community have resulted in a community of workers of diverse occupations who are increasingly focused on their nonwork lives on children's interests and on sports. The terms 'political apathy', 'false consciousness' and 'privatization' are illuminated as the impotence of the local community, the industrial union and the political party are revealed.;Through interviews with individuals, families and leaders, participant observation of everyday activities, and through archival research, the study examines the new isolation of men and the important role which women continue to play in shaping the social life of the family and the community.;An analysis of two community problems (environmental pollution and corporate relocation of industry), and consideration of state and federal actions concerning these problems, show how the local community is trapped in a series of contradictions and becomes increasingly focused on ineffective cures for symptoms of larger economic processes. The "economic" decisions made by corporations have resulted in the transformation of a town of union or lodge or party members into a town of individuals whose primary community identity is as parents.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Anthropology
