Each year, the Working Class Studies Association (WCSA) recognizes outstanding new work that contributes to the field of working-class studies. This year, Plowed Under by Ann Folino White won the CLR James Award.
Plowed Under tells the story of the aftermath of the New Deal Agricultural Adjustment Act. White makes a great contribution to the field of working-class studies through her examination of strategies used by farmers, consumers, and the federal government to protest and negotiate rights to food during this economic crisis.
WCSA Judges raved about White's insightful work: "The book has a remarkably inventive and interdisciplinary methodology, and it takes a diverse but coherent look at the multifaceted questions of labor, food production, and the relations of class, race, and gender during the Great Depression, questions that have lasting implications for today's world."
The WCSA promotes scholarship and activism related to the lives of those in the working class and the issues they face. The winners will be awarded in June at the How Class Works conference at SUNY Stony Brook. Read about the other award recipients here.
Learn more about Plowed Under in this IU Press podcast with the author.