Arlie Russell Hochschild
Author of Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right
About the Author
Arlie Russell Hochschild, a professor of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, is the author of two New York Times Notable Books of the Year, THE SECOND SHIFT and THE MANAGED HEART. She has received numerous awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a research grant from the show more National Institute of Mental Health. Her articles have appeared in Harper's, Mother Jones, and Psychology Today, among others. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, the writer Adam Hochschild. (Publisher Provided) Arlie Russell Hochschild, Hochschild was a Professor of Sociology and directed the Center for Working Families at the University of California, Berkeley. She married writer Adam Hochschild, and they had two sons. She has been a Lang Visiting Professor of Social Change at Swarthmore College and a Fulbright Scholar at the Center for Development Studies in Trivandrum, Kerala, India. She has written articles that have appeared in scholarly journals as well as Harper's, Mother Jones, and The New York Times Magazine. She has received awards from the Fulbright, Guggenheim and Alfred P. Sloan foundations and from the National Institute of Public Health. Hochschild is the author of "The Second Shift," The Managed Heart," and "The Time Bind." She believed that women moving into the workforce have not been accompanied by changes in the workplace, and the issues of daycare and the role of men at home have caused tension within the family. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Works by Arlie Russell Hochschild
Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right (2016) 1,442 copies, 43 reviews
Global Woman: Nannies, Maids, and Sex Workers in the New Economy (2003) — Editor — 522 copies, 2 reviews
it consulting 17 copies
Associated Works
The World According to Tomdispatch: America In The New Age of Empire (2008) — Contributor — 31 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1940-01-15
- Gender
- female
- Education
- University of California, Berkeley (MA, PhD)
Swarthmore College (BA) - Occupations
- sociologist
- Organizations
- University of California, Berkeley
- Awards and honors
- Jessie Bernard Award (2008)
Ulysses Medal (2015)
Award for Public Understanding of Sociology - Agent
- Georges Borchardt
- Relationships
- Hochschild, Adam (husband)
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Places of residence
- Berkeley, California, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Discussions
Group Read: Strangers In Their Own Land, by Arlie Russell Hochschild in 75 Books Challenge for 2017 (May 2017)
Reviews
Answers a Question Befuddling Many
Prominent sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild offers an explanation of what to many appears as a mystifying paradox: that some people support wholly or partly ideas and actions against their own best interests. Huh, these befuddled observers might retort, no, it’s obvious, these people are hardhearted, or stuck in the past, or suckers for jingoistic bombast, or racists, or malleable simpletons, or lately dumpsters (among other terms for Trump supporters). show more But like most fodder for polemicists on the right and left, there is a small kernel of truth in the name calling, just not the whole truth.
In this very enlightening study, shortlisted for the 2016 National Book Award, Hochschild applies her years of research and development of the theory of emotion, personal and group, as the driving force in how people make sense of their world and decide what’s best for them. While directing your life from your emotional self may not strike some as rational, others might see rationality and consistency within the context of emotion. This can help in understanding where, in the case of the Tea Party adherents and generally people who appear to outside observers to be working against their interests, are coming from. You don’t have to agree with these people, but you can at least understand they aren’t the irrationalists they appear to be to many.
Hochschild spent five years immersing herself in the Tea Party culture of Louisiana. The paradox she addresses here is twofold: Why do people in among the poorest of the states, a state that receives nearly half its budget from the federal government, oppose help from the feds, and why do people living in a heavily polluted state oppose enforcing environmental regulations on the chief polluters, the oil and gas industries?
The book divides into four parts: The Great Paradox, The Social Terrain, The Deep Story and the People in It, and Going National, with supplementary appendices on the research method, toxic environment and voting patterns (the more polluted a state, the more red it is, and vice versa), and factual answers to false beliefs held by people interviewed in the book and generally throughout the right-leaning population. While the first two parts are interesting and provide context, you could go directly to the last two parts and the appendices to understand Hochschild’s conclusions.
What it boils down to is people viewing their world through the lens of their deep story. As Hochschild explains, “A deep story is a feels-as-if story—it’s the story feelings tell, in the language of symbols. It removes judgment. It removes facts. It tells us how things feel….The deep story here, that of the Tea Party, focuses on relationships between social groups within our national borders. I constructed this deep story to represent—in metaphorical form—the hopes, fears, pride, shame, resentment, and anxiety in the lives of those I talked with. Then I tried it out on my Tea Party friends to see if they thought it fit their experience. They did.” Waiting in line, watching people cut in, government giving unfair help, the seeming suspension of personal progress, and the insults endured for protesting for a fair, or better, shake, these comprise the metaphor, as well as her constructs of types. Particularly strong is how she gives you historical context for appreciating what’s happening, focusing on the 1860s and the 1960s, two influential periods in the current emotional state of the nation.
If there ever was a book for the times, for understanding the political landscape of America today, this is it. It may not—probably will not—alter your viewpoint, but at least you’ll have a clearer idea of how Tea Party people see themselves. show less
Prominent sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild offers an explanation of what to many appears as a mystifying paradox: that some people support wholly or partly ideas and actions against their own best interests. Huh, these befuddled observers might retort, no, it’s obvious, these people are hardhearted, or stuck in the past, or suckers for jingoistic bombast, or racists, or malleable simpletons, or lately dumpsters (among other terms for Trump supporters). show more But like most fodder for polemicists on the right and left, there is a small kernel of truth in the name calling, just not the whole truth.
In this very enlightening study, shortlisted for the 2016 National Book Award, Hochschild applies her years of research and development of the theory of emotion, personal and group, as the driving force in how people make sense of their world and decide what’s best for them. While directing your life from your emotional self may not strike some as rational, others might see rationality and consistency within the context of emotion. This can help in understanding where, in the case of the Tea Party adherents and generally people who appear to outside observers to be working against their interests, are coming from. You don’t have to agree with these people, but you can at least understand they aren’t the irrationalists they appear to be to many.
Hochschild spent five years immersing herself in the Tea Party culture of Louisiana. The paradox she addresses here is twofold: Why do people in among the poorest of the states, a state that receives nearly half its budget from the federal government, oppose help from the feds, and why do people living in a heavily polluted state oppose enforcing environmental regulations on the chief polluters, the oil and gas industries?
The book divides into four parts: The Great Paradox, The Social Terrain, The Deep Story and the People in It, and Going National, with supplementary appendices on the research method, toxic environment and voting patterns (the more polluted a state, the more red it is, and vice versa), and factual answers to false beliefs held by people interviewed in the book and generally throughout the right-leaning population. While the first two parts are interesting and provide context, you could go directly to the last two parts and the appendices to understand Hochschild’s conclusions.
What it boils down to is people viewing their world through the lens of their deep story. As Hochschild explains, “A deep story is a feels-as-if story—it’s the story feelings tell, in the language of symbols. It removes judgment. It removes facts. It tells us how things feel….The deep story here, that of the Tea Party, focuses on relationships between social groups within our national borders. I constructed this deep story to represent—in metaphorical form—the hopes, fears, pride, shame, resentment, and anxiety in the lives of those I talked with. Then I tried it out on my Tea Party friends to see if they thought it fit their experience. They did.” Waiting in line, watching people cut in, government giving unfair help, the seeming suspension of personal progress, and the insults endured for protesting for a fair, or better, shake, these comprise the metaphor, as well as her constructs of types. Particularly strong is how she gives you historical context for appreciating what’s happening, focusing on the 1860s and the 1960s, two influential periods in the current emotional state of the nation.
If there ever was a book for the times, for understanding the political landscape of America today, this is it. It may not—probably will not—alter your viewpoint, but at least you’ll have a clearer idea of how Tea Party people see themselves. show less
Phew! I'm thrilled to be finished with this one. Not that it's not good. It's well-done, readable non-fiction that's story based. But I felt uncomfortable the entire time I was reading.
The author is a sociologist from Berkeley, CA -- she's a blue state liberal who wanted to try to understand the thinking of people in red states, many of whom support Donald Trump. And I think Hochschild does a good job of humanizing this group of the American populous whose collective voice seems to be on show more the ascendant. These are loving mates and devoted parents. They go to church and work hard. They're friendly and supportive of neighbors.
As a blue state person myself, what made me so uncomfortable was NOT that the interviewees Hochschild profiles in the book can be dismissed as uneducated or stupid. They can't. It's that their thinking is so WILDLY different from my own, in so many areas. And those differences are so profound that I found myself getting increasingly demoralized about the prospect of these two sides ever reaching a meeting point.
Hochschild shows how the individuals profiled feel left out of the American dream. And it is true they HAVE lost a lot of ground during the last couple of generations. Particularly those who are high-school educated, white and male. Many traditional, decent-paying jobs have moved overseas. Technology has revolutionized the workplace so that others jobs are now automated. Income is stagnant. And instead of sitting at the top of a world built on white privilege, this is a group that must now compete for employment against women and minorities. (Not so 50 years ago.)
They are also tired of being told to be politically correct and they are just plain angry at those they see passing them on the ladder of success. I do now understand how these people are drawn to what I see as Trump's anger, vitriol, racism, and promises to "make America great again." (This actually seems to mean return America to the way life was in the 1950s -- few women in the workplace, little competition from minorities, and plenty of jobs for unskilled or marginally skilled workers).
All the interviewees are from Louisiana, home of the so-called "cancer corridor", reflecting the large number of cancers reported in certain areas of the state. Also where many large chemical companies (Dow, Monsanto) and oil and gas companies run huge facilities. But instead of holding companies responsible for associated pollution (and its potential health threats), these folks blame a bloated government with too many regulations. And they don't understand why government should be helping out those with no health insurance (Obamacare) or no income (welfare) or immigrants seeking asylum. Not when too many "regular" Americans are struggling. They believe THESE are the folks whose welfare should be prioritized. Which, honestly, strikes me as a fair argument. Hochschild points out the great paradox. While believing in smaller government and NOT believing in government hand-outs -- about 50% of Louisiana's yearly budget comes from federal funds.
But it's not just anti-government sentiment that left me discouraged. Or faith in American corporations. Or even feeling that women and minorities should remain disadvantaged. It's a culture that doesn't value advanced education. That accepts pollution as an acceptable by-product of industries that provide jobs and manufacture the consumables we all demand. And then there's that widespread belief that the United States should essentially be a Christian country, guided by the teachings of the Bible (i.e. no abortion, no Muslims, women's primary role is to support their men, no belief in global warming except perhaps as a portent of The Coming Rapture).
No need to go on, right? Will this book help humanize Trump supporters? Yes. Will it help you understand why they feel as they do? Yes. Will you empathize with their struggles? Definitely. But will it encourage you about the future of the country? I'm not so sure. Instead, like me, I'm afraid it will leave YOU feeling like a stranger in YOUR own land. show less
The author is a sociologist from Berkeley, CA -- she's a blue state liberal who wanted to try to understand the thinking of people in red states, many of whom support Donald Trump. And I think Hochschild does a good job of humanizing this group of the American populous whose collective voice seems to be on show more the ascendant. These are loving mates and devoted parents. They go to church and work hard. They're friendly and supportive of neighbors.
As a blue state person myself, what made me so uncomfortable was NOT that the interviewees Hochschild profiles in the book can be dismissed as uneducated or stupid. They can't. It's that their thinking is so WILDLY different from my own, in so many areas. And those differences are so profound that I found myself getting increasingly demoralized about the prospect of these two sides ever reaching a meeting point.
Hochschild shows how the individuals profiled feel left out of the American dream. And it is true they HAVE lost a lot of ground during the last couple of generations. Particularly those who are high-school educated, white and male. Many traditional, decent-paying jobs have moved overseas. Technology has revolutionized the workplace so that others jobs are now automated. Income is stagnant. And instead of sitting at the top of a world built on white privilege, this is a group that must now compete for employment against women and minorities. (Not so 50 years ago.)
They are also tired of being told to be politically correct and they are just plain angry at those they see passing them on the ladder of success. I do now understand how these people are drawn to what I see as Trump's anger, vitriol, racism, and promises to "make America great again." (This actually seems to mean return America to the way life was in the 1950s -- few women in the workplace, little competition from minorities, and plenty of jobs for unskilled or marginally skilled workers).
All the interviewees are from Louisiana, home of the so-called "cancer corridor", reflecting the large number of cancers reported in certain areas of the state. Also where many large chemical companies (Dow, Monsanto) and oil and gas companies run huge facilities. But instead of holding companies responsible for associated pollution (and its potential health threats), these folks blame a bloated government with too many regulations. And they don't understand why government should be helping out those with no health insurance (Obamacare) or no income (welfare) or immigrants seeking asylum. Not when too many "regular" Americans are struggling. They believe THESE are the folks whose welfare should be prioritized. Which, honestly, strikes me as a fair argument. Hochschild points out the great paradox. While believing in smaller government and NOT believing in government hand-outs -- about 50% of Louisiana's yearly budget comes from federal funds.
But it's not just anti-government sentiment that left me discouraged. Or faith in American corporations. Or even feeling that women and minorities should remain disadvantaged. It's a culture that doesn't value advanced education. That accepts pollution as an acceptable by-product of industries that provide jobs and manufacture the consumables we all demand. And then there's that widespread belief that the United States should essentially be a Christian country, guided by the teachings of the Bible (i.e. no abortion, no Muslims, women's primary role is to support their men, no belief in global warming except perhaps as a portent of The Coming Rapture).
No need to go on, right? Will this book help humanize Trump supporters? Yes. Will it help you understand why they feel as they do? Yes. Will you empathize with their struggles? Definitely. But will it encourage you about the future of the country? I'm not so sure. Instead, like me, I'm afraid it will leave YOU feeling like a stranger in YOUR own land. show less
Phew! I'm thrilled to be finished with this one. Not that it's not good. It's well-done, readable non-fiction that's story based. But I felt uncomfortable the entire time I was reading.
The author is a sociologist from Berkeley, CA -- she's a blue state liberal who wanted to try to understand the thinking of people in red states, many of whom support Donald Trump. And I think Hochschild does a good job of humanizing this group of the American populous whose collective voice seems to be on show more the ascendant. These are loving mates and devoted parents. They go to church and work hard. They're friendly and supportive of neighbors.
As a blue state person myself, what made me so uncomfortable was NOT that the interviewees Hochschild profiles in the book can be dismissed as uneducated or stupid. They can't. It's that their thinking is so WILDLY different from my own, in so many areas. And those differences are so profound that I found myself getting increasingly demoralized about the prospect of these two sides ever reaching a meeting point.
Hochschild shows how the individuals profiled feel left out of the American dream. And it is true they HAVE lost a lot of ground during the last couple of generations. Particularly those who are high-school educated, white and male. Many traditional, decent-paying jobs have moved overseas. Technology has revolutionized the workplace so that others jobs are now automated. Income is stagnant. And instead of sitting at the top of a world built on white privilege, this is a group that must now compete for employment against women and minorities. (Not so 50 years ago.)
They are also tired of being told to be politically correct and they are just plain angry at those they see passing them on the ladder of success. I do now understand how these people are drawn to what I see as Trump's anger, vitriol, racism, and promises to "make America great again." (This actually seems to mean return America to the way life was in the 1950s -- few women in the workplace, little competition from minorities, and plenty of jobs for unskilled or marginally skilled workers).
All the interviewees are from Louisiana, home of the so-called "cancer corridor", reflecting the large number of cancers reported in certain areas of the state. Also where many large chemical companies (Dow, Monsanto) and oil and gas companies run huge facilities. But instead of holding companies responsible for associated pollution (and its potential health threats), these folks blame a bloated government with too many regulations. And they don't understand why government should be helping out those with no health insurance (Obamacare) or no income (welfare) or immigrants seeking asylum. Not when too many "regular" Americans are struggling. They believe THESE are the folks whose welfare should be prioritized. Which, honestly, strikes me as a fair argument. Hochschild points out the great paradox. While believing in smaller government and NOT believing in government hand-outs -- about 50% of Louisiana's yearly budget comes from federal funds.
But it's not just anti-government sentiment that left me discouraged. Or faith in American corporations. Or even feeling that women and minorities should remain disadvantaged. It's a culture that doesn't value advanced education. That accepts pollution as an acceptable by-product of industries that provide jobs and manufacture the consumables we all demand. And then there's that widespread belief that the United States should essentially be a Christian country, guided by the teachings of the Bible (i.e. no abortion, no Muslims, women's primary role is to support their men, no belief in global warming except perhaps as a portent of The Coming Rapture).
No need to go on, right? Will this book help humanize Trump supporters? Yes. Will it help you understand why they feel as they do? Yes. Will you empathize with their struggles? Definitely. But will it encourage you about the future of the country? I'm not so sure. Instead, like me, I'm afraid it will leave YOU feeling like a stranger in YOUR own land. show less
The author is a sociologist from Berkeley, CA -- she's a blue state liberal who wanted to try to understand the thinking of people in red states, many of whom support Donald Trump. And I think Hochschild does a good job of humanizing this group of the American populous whose collective voice seems to be on show more the ascendant. These are loving mates and devoted parents. They go to church and work hard. They're friendly and supportive of neighbors.
As a blue state person myself, what made me so uncomfortable was NOT that the interviewees Hochschild profiles in the book can be dismissed as uneducated or stupid. They can't. It's that their thinking is so WILDLY different from my own, in so many areas. And those differences are so profound that I found myself getting increasingly demoralized about the prospect of these two sides ever reaching a meeting point.
Hochschild shows how the individuals profiled feel left out of the American dream. And it is true they HAVE lost a lot of ground during the last couple of generations. Particularly those who are high-school educated, white and male. Many traditional, decent-paying jobs have moved overseas. Technology has revolutionized the workplace so that others jobs are now automated. Income is stagnant. And instead of sitting at the top of a world built on white privilege, this is a group that must now compete for employment against women and minorities. (Not so 50 years ago.)
They are also tired of being told to be politically correct and they are just plain angry at those they see passing them on the ladder of success. I do now understand how these people are drawn to what I see as Trump's anger, vitriol, racism, and promises to "make America great again." (This actually seems to mean return America to the way life was in the 1950s -- few women in the workplace, little competition from minorities, and plenty of jobs for unskilled or marginally skilled workers).
All the interviewees are from Louisiana, home of the so-called "cancer corridor", reflecting the large number of cancers reported in certain areas of the state. Also where many large chemical companies (Dow, Monsanto) and oil and gas companies run huge facilities. But instead of holding companies responsible for associated pollution (and its potential health threats), these folks blame a bloated government with too many regulations. And they don't understand why government should be helping out those with no health insurance (Obamacare) or no income (welfare) or immigrants seeking asylum. Not when too many "regular" Americans are struggling. They believe THESE are the folks whose welfare should be prioritized. Which, honestly, strikes me as a fair argument. Hochschild points out the great paradox. While believing in smaller government and NOT believing in government hand-outs -- about 50% of Louisiana's yearly budget comes from federal funds.
But it's not just anti-government sentiment that left me discouraged. Or faith in American corporations. Or even feeling that women and minorities should remain disadvantaged. It's a culture that doesn't value advanced education. That accepts pollution as an acceptable by-product of industries that provide jobs and manufacture the consumables we all demand. And then there's that widespread belief that the United States should essentially be a Christian country, guided by the teachings of the Bible (i.e. no abortion, no Muslims, women's primary role is to support their men, no belief in global warming except perhaps as a portent of The Coming Rapture).
No need to go on, right? Will this book help humanize Trump supporters? Yes. Will it help you understand why they feel as they do? Yes. Will you empathize with their struggles? Definitely. But will it encourage you about the future of the country? I'm not so sure. Instead, like me, I'm afraid it will leave YOU feeling like a stranger in YOUR own land. show less
Important, disturbing, alarming.
Reminds me of my childhood in Houston in the 50s and 60s, and how our parents would drive us to our cousins through Pasadena (petroleum country) and we'd groan in the backseat and hold our noses, going "P-Yew! Stinkadena!"
The book was amazing. I might be able to cross the empathy wall in terms of their feelings, how they felt bypassed, ignored, disregarded. But I cannot feel empathy for their actions or, in some cases, their lack of actions. I really got how show more exciting the Trump rally was for them, how they finally felt like a majority in a powerful tribe. That's just human nature. But this 'leader' is scary as hell. At least a few of them admitted to the author that the guy is mean and scary. Though they still said they'd vote for him. Sigh...
And we all know what happened in 2016 just after the book was published.
Highly recommended. show less
Reminds me of my childhood in Houston in the 50s and 60s, and how our parents would drive us to our cousins through Pasadena (petroleum country) and we'd groan in the backseat and hold our noses, going "P-Yew! Stinkadena!"
The book was amazing. I might be able to cross the empathy wall in terms of their feelings, how they felt bypassed, ignored, disregarded. But I cannot feel empathy for their actions or, in some cases, their lack of actions. I really got how show more exciting the Trump rally was for them, how they finally felt like a majority in a powerful tribe. That's just human nature. But this 'leader' is scary as hell. At least a few of them admitted to the author that the guy is mean and scary. Though they still said they'd vote for him. Sigh...
And we all know what happened in 2016 just after the book was published.
Highly recommended. show less
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