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  • © 2009

I Saw it Coming

Worker Narratives of Plant Closings and Job Loss

Palgrave Macmillan

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Oral History (PSOH)

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
  2. Introduction

    • Tracy E. K’Meyer, Joy L. Hart
    Pages 1-12
  3. “This Plant’s Going to Be There Forever”

    • Tracy E. K’Meyer, Joy L. Hart
    Pages 13-33
  4. “The Dangers of Some of the Jobs Was Unreal”

    • Tracy E. K’Meyer, Joy L. Hart
    Pages 35-60
  5. “I Knew That Factory Wasn’t Going to Last”

    • Tracy E. K’Meyer, Joy L. Hart
    Pages 61-96
  6. “I Was Overjoyed, I Was Sad, I Was Hurt”

    • Tracy E. K’Meyer, Joy L. Hart
    Pages 97-135
  7. “There’s No Such Thing as Job Security Anymore”

    • Tracy E. K’Meyer, Joy L. Hart
    Pages 137-153
  8. Conclusion

    • Tracy E. K’Meyer, Joy L. Hart
    Pages 155-162
  9. Back Matter

    Pages 163-185

About this book

In this book, workers displaced by plant closings in Louisville, Kentucky tell their stories, emphasizing their agency, demanding respect for their skill, casting judgment on business and government for not showing that respect, and revealing a sense of alienation resulting from violation of their values and trust.

Reviews

"One of the great achievements of this work, in my opinion, is that the authors asked displaced workers not only to tell of the effects of job loss but to explain what happened and why. The why question is almost never asked of displaced workers and the results are fascinating . . . We therefore learn a great deal from these highly political explanations." - Steven High, Canada Research Chair in Public History, Concordia University, Canada

About the authors


TRACY E. K'MEYER is Associate Professor in Recent US History and Co-Director of the Oral History Center at the University of Louisville, USA.

JOY L. HART is Professor of Communication at the University of Louisville, USA.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access