Joseph McCartin
Encyclopedia
Joseph A. McCartin is a professor of history at Georgetown University whose research focuses on labor unions in the United States
.
, in 1959, and is the son of Joseph and Marybeth (Maier) McCartin. In 1981 he received his bachelor's degree
in history from the College of the Holy Cross
in Worcester, Massachusetts
, in 1985 he received a master's degree
, and in 1990 a doctor of philosophy
, both from Binghamton University
.
From 1990 to 1992, he was a lecturer at the University of Rhode Island
. In 1992, he was appointed an assistant professor at the State University of New York at Geneseo
. In 1998 he was promoted to associate professor, and in 1999, McCartin took a position at Georgetown University
in Washington, D.C.
, where he is now an associate professor.
His brother is noted Catholic historian
James McCartin.
whose research focuses on the history of labor unions in the United States
during the 20th century. McCartin is a strong advocate of industrial democracy
, an economic arrangement in which workers share in the management of the workplace. He has challenged many of the labor movement's closely held beliefs, including the idea that the PATCO air traffic controllers' strike of 1981 began, rather than culminated, an attack on labor rights in the United States.
for the best book on labor history.
McCartin's article, " 'Fire the Hell Out of Them': Sanitation Workers' Struggles and the Normalization of the Striker Replacement Strategy in the 1970s", won the Labor: Studies in Working-Class History of the Americas
prize as the best article on labor history published in 2005.
McCartin was named a fellow of the National Endowment for the Humanities
in 1993 and again in 2002. In 2003, he was named a Charles Warren Fellow at Harvard University
.
Labor unions in the United States
Labor unions in the United States are legally recognized as representatives of workers in many industries. The most prominent unions are among public sector employees such as teachers and police...
.
Early life and education
McCartin was born in Chelsea, MassachusettsChelsea, Massachusetts
Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. It is the smallest city in Massachusetts in land area, and the 26th most densely populated incorporated place in the country.-History:...
, in 1959, and is the son of Joseph and Marybeth (Maier) McCartin. In 1981 he received his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in history from the College of the Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, in 1985 he received a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
, and in 1990 a doctor of philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
, both from Binghamton University
Binghamton University
Binghamton University, also formally called State University of New York at Binghamton, , is a public research university in the State of New York. The University is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York system...
.
From 1990 to 1992, he was a lecturer at the University of Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island is the principal public research university in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Its main campus is located in Kingston. Additional campuses include the Feinstein Campus in Providence, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West...
. In 1992, he was appointed an assistant professor at the State University of New York at Geneseo
State University of New York at Geneseo
The State University of New York at Geneseo—also known as SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo State, or, colloquially, Geneseo—is located in Geneseo, Livingston County, New York, United States. It is a University College of the State University of New York...
. In 1998 he was promoted to associate professor, and in 1999, McCartin took a position at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, where he is now an associate professor.
His brother is noted Catholic historian
History of the Roman Catholic Church
As the oldest branch of Christianity, along with Eastern Orthodoxy, the history of the Catholic Church plays an integral part of the History of Christianity as a whole. This article covers a period of just under 2,000 years....
James McCartin.
Research focus
McCartin is a historical institutionalistHistorical institutionalism
Historical institutionalism is a social science method that uses institutions in order to find sequences of social, political, economic behavior and change across time...
whose research focuses on the history of labor unions in the United States
Labor unions in the United States
Labor unions in the United States are legally recognized as representatives of workers in many industries. The most prominent unions are among public sector employees such as teachers and police...
during the 20th century. McCartin is a strong advocate of industrial democracy
Industrial democracy
Industrial democracy is an arrangement which involves workers making decisions, sharing responsibility and authority in the workplace. While in participative management organizational designs workers are listened to and take part in the decision-making process, in organizations employing industrial...
, an economic arrangement in which workers share in the management of the workplace. He has challenged many of the labor movement's closely held beliefs, including the idea that the PATCO air traffic controllers' strike of 1981 began, rather than culminated, an attack on labor rights in the United States.
Awards
McCartin's 1997 book, Labor’s Great War: The Struggle for Industrial Democracy and the Origins of Modern American Labor Relations, 1912-21, won the 1999 Philip Taft Labor History Book AwardPhilip Taft Labor History Book Award
The Philip Taft Labor History Book Award is sponsored by the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations in cooperation with the Labor and Working-Class History Association for books relating to labor history of the United States...
for the best book on labor history.
McCartin's article, " 'Fire the Hell Out of Them': Sanitation Workers' Struggles and the Normalization of the Striker Replacement Strategy in the 1970s", won the Labor: Studies in Working-Class History of the Americas
Labor: Studies in Working-Class History of the Americas
Labor: Studies in Working-Class History of the Americas is a peer reviewed quarterly journal which publishes articles regarding the history of the labor movement in the United States. It is the official journal of the Labor and Working-Class History Association and is published by Duke University...
prize as the best article on labor history published in 2005.
McCartin was named a fellow of the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
in 1993 and again in 2002. In 2003, he was named a Charles Warren Fellow at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Solely authored books
- Labor’s Great War: The Struggle for Industrial Democracy and the Origins of Modern American Labor Relations, 1912-21. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1997. ISBN 0-8078-4679-1
Co-authored books
- McCartin, Joseph A. and Dubofsky, Melvyn. American Labor: A Documentary Collection. New York: Palgrave-Macmillan, 2004. ISBN 0-3122-9564-2
Co-edited books
- Kazin, Michael and McCartin, Joseph A, eds. Americanism: New Perspectives on the History of an Ideal. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2006. ISBN 0-8078-3010-0
- Dubofsky, Melvyn. We Shall Be All: A History of the Industrial Workers of the World. Abridged edition. Joseph A. McCartin, ed. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2000. ISBN 0-2520-6905-6
Solely authored articles
- "Re-Framing the Crisis of U.S. Labor: Rights, Democracy, and Political Economy." Labour/Le Travail. 2007.
- "Bringing the State’s Workers In: Time to Rectify an Imbalanced U.S. Labor Historiography." Labor History. 47:1 (2006).
- " 'Fire the Hell Out of Them': Sanitation Workers’ Struggles and the Normalization of the Striker Replacement Strategy in the 1970s." Labor: Studies in the Working-Class History of the Americas. 2:3 (2005).
- "Democratizing the Demand for Workers’ Rights: Toward a Reframing of Labor's Argument." Dissent. 2005.
Solely authored book chapters
- "Utraque Unum: Finding My Way as a Catholic and a Historian." In Faith and the Historian: Catholic Perspectives. Nick Salvatore, ed. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2007. ISBN 0-2520-3143-1
- "Managing Discontent: The Life and Career of Leamon Hood, Black Public Employee Union Activist." In The Black Worker: Race, Labor, and Civil Rights Since Emancipation. Eric Arnesen, ed. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2007. ISBN 0-2520-7380-0