Continuity and Change in the Legitimation of Authority in Southern Mill Towns

Abstract

This paper examines the legitimation of authority in textile mill towns in the southern United States. Structural changes in the organization of the textile industry, personnel management practices, and the composition of the textile labor force suggest that the paternalism of the past has been replaced by more impersonal and limited authority relations. However, the interviews I conducted with residents of one mill town indicate that some characteristics of paternalism remain. I offer some explanations for the gratitude and quiescence of textile workers in the context of structural change, including: the market power of industry giants, the high proportion of women and the increasing proportion of blacks in the textile labor force, and the extreme localism of many mill workers.

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