University of Alberta A Critical Ethnography of Education in the Edmonton Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) by Aaron D. Chubb A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in Adult Education Department of Educational Policy Studies ©Aaron David Chubb Spring 2012 Edmonton, Alberta Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission. To the love of my life— Ashley Dawn Markus Abstract This study asks how members of the Edmonton Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) are learning to challenge capitalist hegemony. A critical ethnographic method is used to explore the question. A history of education in the IWW and related movements provides a foreground to findings and analysis in this contemporary study. A rich practise of workers‘ education is found in the Edmonton and wider IWW which—aided by actions of solidarity— influences working-class struggles beyond membership. A combination of organic and traditional intellectuals engage in a revolutionary praxis of anarcho-syndicalism and related theories reinterpreted through struggles that attempt to challenge capitalist hegemony pre-figuratively in the workplace and on the picket lines of Edmonton. Key words include: adult education, anarchism, ethnography, hegemony, organic intellectuals, Marxism, revolutionary praxis, social class, social movement learning, syndicalism, union organizing and workers‘ education. Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................ 1 Join the IWW! ...................................................................................... 1 Introduction to the Theory and Methodology ...................................... 5 Overview of Thesis .............................................................................. 9 Chapter 2: History and Context of Education in the Edmonton IWW ...... 11 Marxism and Class Struggle .............................................................. 11 Class Struggle ............................................................................. 13 Anarchism, Syndicalism and Industrial Unions .......................... 15 Workers‘ Education and Intellectuals ................................................ 20 The Early Industrial Workers of the World ....................................... 27 The IWW in Western Canada and Edmonton ............................. 30 Education in the Industrial Workers of the World ...................... 32 Capitalist Hegemony and Coercion ............................................ 41 Hegemonic Consensus and Adult Education ..................................... 46 From Independent to Dependent and Back Again: Adult Education in the Union Movement, 1920-1970 .......................... 49 Reviving the IWW ............................................................................. 52 Chapter Summary .............................................................................. 54 Chapter 3: Methodology ............................................................................ 56 Positioning the Research .................................................................... 57 Research on Social Movement Learning .................................... 57 My Positionality .......................................................................... 59 Insider Research .......................................................................... 60 Ethnographic Methods ....................................................................... 62 Participant Observation ............................................................... 62 Interviews .................................................................................... 63 Group Presentation ...................................................................... 64 Document and Archival Review ................................................. 64 Ethical Considerations ....................................................................... 65 Ethical Benefits ........................................................................... 66 Analysis .............................................................................................. 67 Summary ............................................................................................ 68 Chapter 4: Findings on Education in the IWW .......................................... 70 Meet the Edmonton IWW .................................................................. 70 Joining the IWW ......................................................................... 70 My Early Experiences as an IWW Member ............................... 77 Education in the IWW ........................................................................ 80 Non-Formal Education in the IWW ............................................ 80 Summary of Non-formal IWW Education .................................. 93 Informal Education ..................................................................... 93 Summary .......................................................................................... 108 Chapter 5: Findings on Working-class Consciousness and Hegemonic Struggle .................................................................................................. 110 Identifying as a Worker .................................................................... 110 Hegemonic Struggle ......................................................................... 116 A Critique of Hierarchy ............................................................ 116 Locating the IWW in Struggles Against Capitalist Hegemony 118 How the IWW Proceeds to Challenge Capitalist Hegemony ... 122 Can it Change Society? ............................................................. 124 Summary .......................................................................................... 128 Chapter 6: Analysis .................................................................................. 130 Education as a Revolutionary Praxis in the IWW ............................ 131 Learning in the IWW as a Social Movement ................................... 134 Learning as a Worker ....................................................................... 137 Worker Consciousness and Becoming an Organic Intellectual ....... 139 Challenging Hegemony .................................................................... 146 Pre-Figurative Challenges to Capitalist Hegemony .................. 148 Forming Alliances for a Broader Struggle ................................ 150 Chapter Summary ............................................................................ 154 Chapter 7: Conclusion .............................................................................. 156 Reflections on the Research Process ................................................ 157 Implications of the Research ..................................................... 159 Implications for the IWW ......................................................... 162 Final Words ...................................................................................... 163 References ................................................................................................ 165 Appendix 1: Preamble to the IWW Constitution ..................................... 181 Appendix 2: Father Haggerty‘s Wheel of Industrial Unionism ............... 183 Appendix 3: Interview Questions ............................................................ 184 Appendix 4: Letter of Introduction and Consent ..................................... 187 List of Figures Figure 1……………………………………………………….p. 82 Figure 2……………………………………………………….p. 181 Figure 3……………………………………………………….p. 183 Chapter 1: Introduction Join the IWW! It‘s only 5p.m. and the sun is already down in Edmonton, Alberta as I sit with two fellow workers around a kitchen table, drinking beer on this cold winter evening. The conversation shifts around, then Mark says, ―Hey, Steve, tell Aaron about your problems at work.‖ Steve seems unsure about bringing it up but Mark encourages him so does. ―Oh, yeah, this job I have, they make us come in 15 minutes early before our shift even starts. Then they have us clean up after the shift, but we aren‘t getting paid for about 45 minutes.‖ ―That‘s against Alberta labour law,‖ I exclaim. ―Yeah, but do they really enforce it?‖ Steve asks. ―That can be a long process,‖ I say, and then change gears. ―What do your fellow workers think about it?‖ ―I haven‘t really talked to them about it. I think I should just quit.‖ I realize that Steve is at his wits‘ end and try to encourage something more productive. ―Why quit when you can organize? If you could get your coworkers onside it would be much easier to deal with it, you could all just refuse to show up without pay.‖ ―They‘d just fire us.‖ ―That‘s what they want you to think... I bet your boss needs all of you