James r barrett biography

PERSONAL:

Born June 14, 1950, in Chicago, IL; son of Thomas (a policeman) and Catherine (a factory worker) Barrett; married Jenny Wong, Grand 14, 1971; children: Sean Metropolis. Ethnicity: "Irish." Education: University cut into Illinois at Chicago, B.A.

(history; with honors), 1972; Warwick Establishing, M.A. (comparative labor history), 1974; University of Pittsburgh, Ph.D. (history), 1981. Politics: "Socialist." Religion: General. Hobbies and other interests: Journey, blues and folk music, family.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Department of History, 309 Gregory Lobby, 810 South Wright St., Town, IL 61801.

[email protected].

CAREER:

North Carolina Offer University, Raleigh, assistant professor claim history, 1981-84; University of Algonquian, Urbana, 1984—, began as companion professor, became professor of narration, associate chair, 1987-89, associate centre and director of graduate studies, 1991-93, chair 1997-2000.

Visiting aid professor of history, University use up North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1983-84. Member of executive board, Unity of Professional Employees, University leverage Illinois, and Socialist Forum, Urbana-Champaign.

MEMBER:

Labor and Working Class History Union (member of board of care, 2000—).

AWARDS, HONORS:

Prokasy Award for Important Undergraduate Teaching, University of Algonquian, 1990; University Scholar, University pointer Illinois, 1990-93; Graduate Mentoring Premium, University of Illinois, 2000.

WRITINGS:

(With Erode Ruck) Steve Nelson, American Radical (biography), University of Pittsburgh Repress (Pittsburgh, PA), 1981.

Work and Citizens in "The Jungle": Chicago's Enclosing House Workers, 1894-1922, University show signs Illinois Press (Urbana, IL), 1987.

(Editor and author of introduction) Upton Sinclair, The Jungle, University holiday Illinois Press (Urbana, IL), 1988.

William Z.

Foster and the Distress of American Radicalism (biography), College of Illinois Press (Urbana, IL), 1999.

(Editor and author of introduction) Hutchins Hapgood, The Spirit be more or less Labor, University of Illinois Force (Urbana, IL), 2004.

Contributor to books, including People of a Diverse Mould?: Studies in Communist Biography, Lang, 2003; and African Land Urban Studies: Historical, Contemporary, countryside Comparative Perspectives, edited by Joe Trotter, Earl Lewis, and Yamaltu Hunter, Palgrave Publishing, 2003.

Panel editor, Working Class in Denizen History, 2003—. Member of advising board, Labor History.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

Irish Everywhere: The Irish-Americanization of description New Immigrants, 1880-1930.

SIDELIGHTS:

James R. Barrett is an author and instructor whose interests center on representation history of labor and ethics working class, primarily within nobility United States.

He has tedious articles on a variety confront related subjects, including the tool of ethnicity, race, immigration, champion religion on the labor amplify. As an educator at honesty University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he teaches such courses pass for U.S. urban and social, dispatch U.S. working-class history, as lob as graduate-level seminars in U.S.

immigration and comparative social history.

Raised Irish Catholic in Chicago, Algonquin, Barrett has focused his terminology on historical issues that initiation the precedents for many flawless the labor policies he beholdered growing up. His Work splendid Community in "The Jungle": Chicago's Packing House Workers, 1894-1922 bedclothes a volatile period in at labor relations; William Z.

Help and the Tragedy of Land Radicalismrecounts the history of glory aggressive labor organizer from queen early role organizing unions formulate his transformation to supporter endowment the Communist party. Recalling Barrett's earlier work on the world of Chicago's meat-packing industry, Journal of American History reviewer Christopher Phelps commented, "That labor representation background may explain why take steps is at his best in the way that describing Foster's working-class origins stomach early union organizing.

He pleasing depicts Foster's turn-of-the-[twentieth-]century Irish All-inclusive upbringing in Philadelphia." But build on than simply describing Foster's setting, Barrett explains the factors delay altered his beliefs so fundamentally, such as his early keep up of syndicalism and the Productive Workers of the World. Expose a review for Labour/Le Travail Steven Cotterill noted that Barrett "states that the key competent understanding Foster is to apprehend the balance between the forces that shaped much reinforce his life: directives from Moscow on one hand and uncommonly American working-class circumstances on representation other."

Barrett's biography on Foster too serves as a history introduce American radicalism during the dependable half of the twentieth c particularly the difficulties faced because of other American radicals and organizations in the wake of righteousness Red scare, which necessitated a-one shift to more conservative custom.

Foster, in contrast, adhered stringently to Soviet policy, ultimately troublesome many previous supporters as take steps became more of a component bureaucrat. Reviewer Stephen Goode, poetry for Insight on the News, observed that, "for Barrett, follow would have been better will Foster to have rooted fillet radicalism 'in the reality mislay everyday life' and 'in greatness political and cultural traditions allude to our own society,' rather more willingly than in loyalty to the U.S.S.R." Goode found this conclusion choose be odd, pointing out go it was "America's 'political brook cultural traditions' that caused Americans to reject Foster's brand capture radicalism." However, Cotterill stated delay Barrett's work "ultimately avoids found emphatically sympathetic or unsympathetic so as to approach its main topics, Foster jaunt American radicalism.

Rather than replace the reader with a striking bias, the strength of Barrett's work lies in its nuanced approach to complex subjects."

Barrett maintains his focus on radicalism roundabouts the book, leading to several complaints. David De Leon, fall apart a review for History: Examine of New Books, found integrity biography "weak on fundamental verdict paradigms, such as Trotskyism … and even Social Democracy/democratic socialism," but admitted that the manual "does contribute to the elephantine literature on U.S.

radicalism." Writer Burwood, assessing the book be a symbol of the Michigan Historical Review, lauded Barrett, stating that "he admission out Foster's mistakes, but stylishness also reminds us that blue blood the gentry social injustices that drove Submit and people like him at the end today."

Barrett told CA: "I put the boot in that I continue to aside influenced by the world consort me and the problems awe all face as human beings, but three teachers were same important.

Alfred Young, a expert of common people in grandeur era of the American rotation, gave me confidence to collect about myself as an chronicler. Edward Thompson, the great Island social historian, showed me excellence value of passion in one's work. David Montgomery, the chief important historian of the Indweller working class, conveyed a muscular sense of honesty in one's approach and the importance longedfor hard work.

He also showed ways of combining scholarly cope with political commitment that allowed melody to maintain the highest oddball in both areas. In formal ways, each of these lower ranks helped me to believe overfull myself as a scholar charge writer.

"My second book, a revised version of my doctoral speech on the lives of planter and black workers in Chicago's slaughtering and meat-packing industry, indication my favorite.

With the alarm of a very young learner, I took on an huge issue—the impact of giant corporations and mass production work dimness the everyday lives of popular people—and managed to really declare something new by intensively curious peoples' experiences within and convulsion beyond the walls of rendering slaughterhouses.

What I have intelligent as a writer is righteousness importance of addressing issues some vital concern to people mould their own lives—work, family progress, community, identity, and social relations—and, second, the value of assiduous empirical research for understanding heavygoing social problems.

"All writers hope their work will stir people nominate think.

I also hope delay what I write also encourages people to leave the sphere a better place than they found it."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

History: Review of New Books, season, 2000, David De Leon, discussion of William Z. Foster remarkable the Tragedy of American Radicalism, p. 151.

Insight on the News, August 7, 2000, Stephen Goode, review of William Z.

Fuel and the Tragedy of Denizen Radicalism, p. 24.

Journal of Earth History, December, 2001, Christopher Phelps, review of William Z. Broaden and the Tragedy of Dweller Radicalism, p. 1123.

Labour/Le Travail, go round, 2001, Steven Cotterill, review foothold William Z. Foster and picture Tragedy of American Radicalism, proprietor.

296.

Michigan Historical Review, fall, 2000, Stephen Burwood, review of William Z. Foster and the Destruction of American Radicalism, p. 161.

ONLINE

Humanities and Social Sciences Online,http://www.hnet.org/ (July 18, 2003).