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Dignity of Working Men

A comparative sociological study of how American (white and Black) and French working-class men construct their self-worth and social boundaries, primarily through morality, in the face of economic decline and social change.

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What it’s about

This book delves into the worldviews of American (white and Black) and French working-class men to understand how they define their dignity and worth in societies where traditional markers of success are increasingly out of reach. Through in-depth interviews, Michèle Lamont reveals that morality—specifically concepts like the "disciplined self" (hard work, responsibility) and the "caring self" (solidarity, generosity)—forms the core of their identity. This moral framework is then used to draw symbolic boundaries against other groups: white Americans critique Black people and the poor for lacking a work ethic, while Black Americans critique whites for being domineering and lacking solidarity. The book extends this comparative analysis to France, where workers similarly use morality to define worth but direct their criticism primarily at North African immigrants while expressing solidarity with the poor. This powerful study uncovers the cultural tools and structural conditions that shape how working-class men make sense of race, class, and immigration, offering a crucial perspective on the foundations of social inclusion and exclusion.

The through-line

Who it’s for: The reader is a socially conscious individual, possibly an academic, policymaker, or student, who wants to understand the real-world perspectives of the working class, a group often stereotyped or ignored. They are frustrated by simplistic explanations for complex social issues like racism, class tension, and anti-immigrant sentiment.
The problem: It is difficult to get an authentic, nuanced understanding of how working-class people see the world, especially on sensitive topics like race and class, leading to flawed policies and social division. The reader feels disconnected from a huge segment of their own society and worries they are operating with an incomplete or biased picture, making them feel ineffective or myopic.
The plan: Explore the moral universe of American workers (both white and Black) to understand their core values.
See how these moral values are applied to create boundaries around race, class, and immigration in the US.
Compare the American experience with that of French workers to reveal what is unique and what is universal, leading to deeper insights.
The payoff: The reader will gain a profound, evidence-based understanding of the cultural roots of social division. · They will be equipped with a more empathetic and effective framework for thinking about and addressing inequality, racism, and class conflict. · They will be able to see beyond stereotypes and engage with the complex realities of working-class life.

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Related profiles we’ve built

Additional reading

The Visible Hand: The Managerial Revolution in American Business · Alfred D. Chandler, Jr.
Provides the historical account of the rise of the large, vertically integrated corporation in the 20th century, which serves as the 'pre-fissured' model that the book contrasts with the modern economy.
The Economic Institutions of Capitalism · Oliver Williamson
Lays out the transaction cost economics framework that helps explain why firms decide to perform activities internally versus outsourcing them, a core theoretical underpinning of the decision to fissure.
The State of Working America · Lawrence Mishel, Josh Bivens, Elise Gould, and Heidi Shierholz (Economic Policy Institute)
The book frequently cites data from this ongoing research project to document the macro-level trends of wage stagnation and rising inequality that form the backdrop for the fissuring phenomenon.
What Do Unions Do? · Richard B. Freeman and James L. Medoff
Provides the classic analysis of the role of unions in the workplace, which is relevant to the book's discussion of how the decline of unions contributed to the vulnerability of workers in a fissured environment.
Income Inequality in the United States, 1913–1998 · Thomas Piketty and Emmanuel Saez
This seminal work on income inequality provides the data showing the 'Great Divergence' in incomes, which the author argues is exacerbated by the fissuring of the workplace.
Gendered Transitions: Mexican Experiences of Immigration · Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo
The author frequently cites this foundational work to analyze how gender shapes the migration process, family dynamics, and the different ways men and women participate in work and community politics, which are central themes of this book.
The Devil in Silicon Valley: Northern California, Race, and Mexican Americans · Stephen J. Pitti
This book provides the essential historical background of the Mexican and Mexican American presence in the Santa Clara Valley, contextualizing Zlolniski's contemporary ethnography within a longer history of labor, community formation, and racial politics in the region.
Organizing Immigrants: The Challenge for Unions in Contemporary California · Ruth Milkman (ed.)
This collection provides a broader context for the unionization efforts described in the book, situating the 'Justice for Janitors' campaign within a wider trend of labor organizing among immigrant workers in California in the 1990s.
Strawberry Fields: Politics, Class, and Work in California Agriculture · Miriam J. Wells
This study of labor control and unionization among Mexican farmworkers offers a valuable comparative case from a different sector (agriculture), allowing for a richer understanding of the common challenges and strategies of immigrant labor organizing in California.
"Good People and Dirty Work" · Everett C. Hughes
This 1962 sociological essay provides the book's central theoretical framework: the idea that respectable members of society tacitly delegate unethical tasks to others and then disavow them.