Our Daily Bread

“[An] important book.” — Environment and Planning D: Society and Space

“Should prove of interest not only to economists, economic geographers, and labor historians, but also to those engaged in, for instance, cultural studies and political theory.” — Environment and Planning

“Brilliantly argued and beautifully written.” — Journal of Historical Geography

“Profoundly theoretical and compellingly argued . . . a work of stunning originality.” — Labor Studies Journal

“Provocative and stimulating.” — The Annals of Iowa

“Compelling, provocative, and creative. . . . [Mann’s] case studies show us the role of wage struggles in the creation of nationalistic, gender, and racial identities as the cultural politics of wages unfold over time and in different contexts.” — Award Committee, Michael Harrington Best Book Award, New Political Science Section, American Political Science Association

“Our Daily Bread is a book whose brilliance is enhanced by its accessible writing and attention to the everyday. Going beyond 'embeddedness' to show how wage struggles encompass every element of political life and cultural practice, Mann reinvents our idea of class struggle. Particularly good on the race-class relationship, deeply theoretical, but above all committed to telling the stories of labor’s creative confrontation with capital, Our Daily Bread should be adopted in courses across the disciplines. Highly recommended!” — Howard Winant, University of California, Santa Barbara

“This remarkable work combines broad theoretical expertise and rich historical case studies to demonstrate that workers' struggles over pay are anything but defensive and narrow. In Mann’s compelling account contests over compensation speak profoundly to the everyday lives and the freedom dreams of those who wage them.” — David Roediger, University of Illinois

“Brilliant . . . An incisive and convincing argument that places struggles over the wage relationships right at the heart of the 'cultural politics of capitalism.'” — New Labor Forum