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Class Struggle in Robot Utopia

Class Struggle in Robot Utopia 639279 NLFXXX10.1177/1095796016639279New Labor ForumFrase research-article2016 On the Contrary New Labor Forum 2016, Vol. 25(2) 12 –17 Class Struggle in Robot Copyright © 2016, The Murphy Institute, City University of New York Reprints and permissions: Utopia sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1095796016639279 nlf.sagepub.com Peter Frase Keywords capitalism, deindustrialization, industrialization, labor, trade unions In American folklore, the legend of John Henry The first and most important thing to under- tells of a former slave, a “steel-driving man.” He stand about this fear is that, while it is fre- is working to construct a railroad tunnel when quently presented as a novel feature of the he must confront a new form of competition: the present, it is actually a persistent phenomenon steam-powered drill. John Henry endeavors to of industrial capitalism, as the John Henry leg- outwork the new mechanical drill, and suc- end shows. The appearance of novelty arises, ceeds—only to drop dead from the effort. perhaps, because popular discussion of auto- Historians have debated whether John Henry mated labor comes in cycles, rising and falling was a real person, and to what extent the story, rather than running at a consistent pitch. which allegedly arose from the construction of the Big Bend Tunnel in http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png New Labor Forum SAGE

Class Struggle in Robot Utopia

Frase, Peter
New Labor Forum , Volume 25 (2): 6 – May 1, 2016
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Publisher
SAGE
Copyright
© 2016, The Murphy Institute, City University of New York
ISSN
1095-7960
eISSN
1557-2978
DOI
10.1177/1095796016639279
Publisher site
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Abstract

639279 NLFXXX10.1177/1095796016639279New Labor ForumFrase research-article2016 On the Contrary New Labor Forum 2016, Vol. 25(2) 12 –17 Class Struggle in Robot Copyright © 2016, The Murphy Institute, City University of New York Reprints and permissions: Utopia sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1095796016639279 nlf.sagepub.com Peter Frase Keywords capitalism, deindustrialization, industrialization, labor, trade unions In American folklore, the legend of John Henry The first and most important thing to under- tells of a former slave, a “steel-driving man.” He stand about this fear is that, while it is fre- is working to construct a railroad tunnel when quently presented as a novel feature of the he must confront a new form of competition: the present, it is actually a persistent phenomenon steam-powered drill. John Henry endeavors to of industrial capitalism, as the John Henry leg- outwork the new mechanical drill, and suc- end shows. The appearance of novelty arises, ceeds—only to drop dead from the effort. perhaps, because popular discussion of auto- Historians have debated whether John Henry mated labor comes in cycles, rising and falling was a real person, and to what extent the story, rather than running at a consistent pitch. which allegedly arose from the construction of the Big Bend Tunnel in

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New Labor Forum – SAGE

Published: May 1, 2016

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