Work, Play, and Power

Abstract

This article uses worker grievances to explore masculine culture on the shop floor of American automobile factories. It begins with a general discussion of late nineteenth-century working-class masculine culture—the rough culture of laborers and the respectable culture of skilled craftsmen. It then postulates a twentieth-century blending of these two male traditions with the rise of the mass production worker. After raising questions about traditional notions of time and work discipline, it suggests that illicit male behavior loosened the tight managerial control of the workplace. Most of the article explores auto worker grievances and discusses the fundamental elements of masculine culture—malingering, horseplay, gambling, fighting, output restriction, and contesting managerial authority.

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