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“DO WE LOOK LIKE OUTLAWS?”: REPRESENTATIONS OF LABOR UNIONS IN AMERICAN CHILDREN’S NOVELS by CYNTHIA ANNE MCLEOD (Under the Direction of Joel Taxel) ABSTRACT In this arts-based multigenre dissertation, I explore representations of labor unions in 53 American novels for children and young adults. The selective tradition described by Raymond Williams (1977) offers a lens for analysis, explaining the process whereby versions of history that serve the interests of the dominant culture come to be viewed as logical or natural when, in fact, other competing versions can and do exist. I analyze depictions of class consciousness within the novels and identify specific topics that are missing or under-represented in the novels. My creative writing about the general textile strike of 1934 provides insight into ways in which alternate viewpoints might be silenced, and historical description of the strike explains how Georgia’s textile workers experienced the strike and its aftermath. Through autoethnographic pieces I examine my own developing awareness of the power and possibilities of story as a means of resisting the selective tradition. These novels provide opportunities to explore the neglected issue of social class in American children's literature. I argue that labor unions in children’s novels are historicized in ways that weaken their connection with the present and suggest that the problems unions seek to remedy were resolved long ago. The overwhelming majority of the books are historical fiction, and their representations of labor are far more sympathetic than those of the six contemporary novels. The novels focus on aspects of labor that situate it in the past, so that young readers lack contemporary portrayals of organized labor. Analysis of these texts is useful in understanding how issues such as class and the possibilities of collective action play out in literature for young people. The current economic crisis during which millions of workers have lost jobs or suffered cuts to their wages demonstrates the continued relevance of labor issues and organizations in the 21st century. INDEX WORDS: Arts-based research, Children’s literature, Labor unions, Multigenre, Social class “DO WE LOOK LIKE OUTLAWS?”: REPRESENTATIONS OF LABOR UNIONS IN AMERICAN CHILDREN’S NOVELS by CYNTHIA ANNE MCLEOD B.S.Ed., The University of Georgia, 1978 M.Ed., The University of West Georgia, 2004 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2010 © 2010 Cynthia Anne McLeod All Rights Reserved “DO WE LOOK LIKE OUTLAWS?”: REPRESENTATIONS OF LABOR UNIONS IN AMERICAN CHILDREN’S NOVELS by CYNTHIA ANNE MCLEOD Major Professor: Joel Taxel Committee: JoBeth Allen Melisa Cahnmann-Taylor Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia May 2010 iv DEDICATION This study is dedicated to the memories of my family members who came of age during the Great Depression and who shared both their stories and their love with me: Shirley Henderson McLeod and Arvel McLeod; Mattie Campbell Dillard and Senior Arlin Dillard; Mary Henderson Haygood; and Ann Henderson. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Making this dream a reality is the result of support and encouragement from more people than I can name here, but I aim to try. My graduate school experience at UGA and this dissertation would have been far different if not for the Red Clay Writing Project. At Red Clay’s Summer Institute in 2004, Dr. JoBeth Allen read my work, offered enthusiastic encouragement, and eventually joined my doctoral committee. Another Red Clay director, Dr. Bob Fecho, inspired me by proving just how engaging academic writing can be. Among the teachers who participated in Summer Institute in 2004 were Freida Hammett, June Meyers, and Eric Hasty, all of whom have become my good friends in the years since. I never fail to be amazed at their creativity and their kindness. They helped make the writing fun. I had many occasions to be grateful to Dr. Bettie St. Pierre, whose ELAN 8000 introductory seminar provided a strong foundation for understanding the theory and practice of research. Dr. Derrick Alridge helped me grasp the differences between the practices of social science and historical research. Dr. Shane Hamilton of the History Department graciously agreed to supervise my readings in labor history. I only wish I had been able to take every course these three offered. Each member of my doctoral committee, Dr. JoBeth Allen, Dr. Misha Cahnmann- Taylor, and my advisor, Dr. Joel Taxel, has had profound influence on this work. It would be easy to be in awe of JoBeth, if she weren’t so down-to-earth. She nurtured my writing for six years, through Red Clay, coursework, and writing retreats. She believed I vi could write a multigenre dissertation before I believed it myself. Misha introduced me to arts-based research, challenged me to become a better writer, and pushed me to think through my commitment to arts-based practices. Joel guided my research, meting out enough criticism to make me more attentive to what I was doing along with enough encouragement to keep me going, and over the years, we became friends. I do remain in awe of him. The highest compliment I have ever received on my writing was that it led Joel to change his mind. Because of him, the hard work of these last six years has also been a joy. Thank you, Joel, for everything. I have had the pleasure of working at Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School for last seven years, first under Dr. Robbie Hooker and later Melanie Sigler. Both have been incredibly supportive during my doctoral program. The faculty of BHL, in particular the ad hoc Thursday Night Therapy group, is the main reason I love my day job. Thank you. Finally, thanks to the friends who have become family, Fern and Mike Carter, Ken and Judy Calkin, and Jennifer Ivey and all their wonderful children, and to my family who are true friends: They have put up with me during this journey, sustaining me with their love and forgiving my many shortcomings. To all our children and their spouses, Nick and Nikki Van Pelt, Kathleen and Randy Gibson, Amanda and Mike Gamsby, and Heather Highfield, thank you for your patience. I look forward to sleeping on all your couches soon. While I have been in graduate school, some of you have been busy producing lovely grandchildren: Kaedance and Ameri, Andrew and Nigel. They are precious, and I look forward to having more time for grandmothering this next generation. Most of all, I cannot thank my parents, Charles and Margaret McLeod, enough. When I decided to pull up stakes and move to Athens in 2003, the hardest part vii was moving farther from them. I trace my interests in literature and politics directly to their influence. The two greatest blessings I have had from my parents are that they loved me, and they read to me. I am forever grateful. In moving to Athens, I was coming home to a town I had lived in years earlier and had always enjoyed, but for my husband Don Highfield, it was a whole new experience. Don did whatever he could to make everything go as smoothly as possible. While I cannot recommend moving three times in seven years during graduate school, he made it work. In the last months as I became increasingly anxious, he has become - inexplicably - even more understanding and patient than before. He is the love of my life. I could not and would not have ever done this without him. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ xii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... xiii INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 1 DO WE LOOK LIKE OUTLAWS? .................................................................8 Secrets and Stories: Trion, 1978 ...............................................................10 Interim: Ringgold, 1980-2003 ..................................................................15 Beginning Again: Athens, 2004 ................................................................17 Social Class, Labor Issues, and Children’s Literature ..............................18 A/R/Tography: Acknowledging the Hybridity of Research .....................21 Trion: A Guided Tour ...............................................................................27 Outlaws, Part 1 ..........................................................................................30 2 CLASS DISCUSSIONS: THE EXERCISE OF POWER ..............................37 The Selective Tradition and Children’s Literature ...................................39 Heroes, Stiffs, and Buffoons: The Working Class in Popular Media .......48 Locating Social Class and Labor within Children’s Literature ................54 Arts-Based Educational Research in Children’s Literature ......................75 Reading the World in Black and White: Columbus, 1962 ........................77 ix Revisiting the Past: 1934 ..........................................................................80 Outlaws, Part 2 ..........................................................................................84 3 COURSE OF ACTION...................................................................................93