Rachel Sherman (sociologist)
Encyclopedia
Rachel Sherman is an assistant professor of sociology
at the New School for Social Research, and a well-known labor scholar whose work focuses on the revitalization of labor unions
.
in Development Studies
from Brown University
. She obtained a master's degree
in 1997 and a Ph.D.
in 2003—both in sociology, and both from the University of California, Berkeley
.
In 2003, she obtained a teaching position at Yale University.
In 2007, she obtained a faculty position at The New School for Social Research, the graduate division of The New School, in New York city.
, social movement
s and culture
.
Sherman's dissertation (as well as her book, Class Acts: Service and Inequality in Luxury Hotels) is a study in the sociology of work. Using the participant observer
method, Sherman looked at how service laborers (hotel workers) engaged in the provision of luxury services justified their socio-economic status vis-a-vis their wealthy, powerful clients. Sherman found that workers develop context-dependent self-identities which depict themselves as privileged on a wide range of symbolic hierarchies (such as competence, authority, status, morality, intelligence, etc.). These workers and their wealthy clients negotiate these identities, and the fluid nature of the identities enables workers to justify the provision of the luxury good or service.
However, the majority of Sherman's work has focused on American labor unions. One of her earliest and most important publications, "Breaking the Iron Law of Oligarchy: Tactical Innovation and the Revitalization of the American Labor Movement," was co-authored with sociologist Kim Voss
in 2000. Voss and Sherman studied local unions in northern California
which were effectively organizing new members. Contrary to most research on what constitutes "good organizing practices," Voss and Sherman found that top-down pressure from national union leaders was the single most important factor in transforming the union from a servicing model
to an organizing model
. Successful organizing campaigns, the authors argue, are top-down, staff-intensive efforts, and the American labor movement must carefully re-think its emphasis on member activism. Their conclusions have subsequently been echoed in the work of Ruth Milkman
, and are reminiscent of the institutionalist
and Hegelian historicist
perspective of older labor theorists such as Selig Perlman
, Philip Taft
and John R. Commons
. Their findings also contradict to a significant degree the conclusions of other scholars such as Kate Bronfenbrenner
and Tom Juravich
, who find that greater levels of worker involvement in union organizing can be equated with a higher degree of union success. For labor activists, the Voss and Sherman article is controversial because it seems to suggest that union democracy
is not an important factor in either union organizing success or in the revitalization of the labor movement.
In subsequent work, Sherman explored the limits that culture places on the transplantation of union organizing strategies and the role social movement unionism
plays in effective union organizing.
(ASA). Sherman is an editorial board member of the ASA's "Rose Series," a program which publishes research monographs and books aimed at sociologists, social scientists and policy-makers on wide-ranging sociological questions or social policy issues. She is also the editor of the newsletter of the ASA Section on Labor and Labor Movements.
Sherman has twice been awarded a National Science Foundation
dissertation grant, and received a number of fellowships from sources as diverse as the University of California Institute for Labor and Employment; the Institute of Industrial Relations at the University of California, Berkeley; and Brown University.
Sherman's article, "Breaking the Iron Law of Oligarchy: Tactical Innovation and the Revitalization of the American Labor Movement" (co-authored with Kim Voss) won the Distinguished Article Award of the Labor Studies Division of the Society for the Study of Social Problems in 2001.
Sherman is a reviewer for a number of professional and scholarly journals, including the American Journal of Sociology
, Ethnography
, Labor Studies Journal
, Social Problems
and Theory and Society.
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
at the New School for Social Research, and a well-known labor scholar whose work focuses on the revitalization of labor unions
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
.
Education and career
Sherman obtained her bachelor's degreeBachelor'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 Development Studies
Development studies
Development studies is a multidisciplinary branch of social science which addresses issues of concern to developing countries. It has historically placed a particular focus on issues related to social and economic development, and its relevance may therefore extend to communities and regions...
from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
. She obtained 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...
in 1997 and a Ph.D.
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...
in 2003—both in sociology, and both from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
In 2003, she obtained a teaching position at Yale University.
In 2007, she obtained a faculty position at The New School for Social Research, the graduate division of The New School, in New York city.
Research
Sherman's research focuses on the nature of work, labor unions, classSocial class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
, social movement
Social movement
Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals or organizations focused on specific political or social issues, in other words, on carrying out, resisting or undoing a social change....
s and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
.
Sherman's dissertation (as well as her book, Class Acts: Service and Inequality in Luxury Hotels) is a study in the sociology of work. Using the participant observer
Participant observation
Participant observation is a type of research strategy. It is a widely used methodology in many disciplines, particularly, cultural anthropology, but also sociology, communication studies, and social psychology...
method, Sherman looked at how service laborers (hotel workers) engaged in the provision of luxury services justified their socio-economic status vis-a-vis their wealthy, powerful clients. Sherman found that workers develop context-dependent self-identities which depict themselves as privileged on a wide range of symbolic hierarchies (such as competence, authority, status, morality, intelligence, etc.). These workers and their wealthy clients negotiate these identities, and the fluid nature of the identities enables workers to justify the provision of the luxury good or service.
However, the majority of Sherman's work has focused on American labor unions. One of her earliest and most important publications, "Breaking the Iron Law of Oligarchy: Tactical Innovation and the Revitalization of the American Labor Movement," was co-authored with sociologist Kim Voss
Kim Voss
Kim Voss is a professor of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley whose main field of research is social movements and the American labor movement.-Education and career:...
in 2000. Voss and Sherman studied local unions in northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
which were effectively organizing new members. Contrary to most research on what constitutes "good organizing practices," Voss and Sherman found that top-down pressure from national union leaders was the single most important factor in transforming the union from a servicing model
Service model
The service model generally describes an approach whereby labor unions aim to satisfy members' demands for resolving grievances and securing benefits through methods other than direct grassroots-oriented pressure on employers...
to an organizing model
Organising model
The organising model, as the term refers to trade unions , is a broad conception of how those organisations should recruit, operate and advance the interests of their members...
. Successful organizing campaigns, the authors argue, are top-down, staff-intensive efforts, and the American labor movement must carefully re-think its emphasis on member activism. Their conclusions have subsequently been echoed in the work of Ruth Milkman
Ruth Milkman
Ruth Milkman is a professor of sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles , where she is also director of the UCLA Institute of Industrial Relations.-Education and career:...
, and are reminiscent of the institutionalist
Institutionalism
Institutionalism can refer to:* Old Institutionalism: An approach to the study of politics that focuses on formal institutions of government* New institutionalism: a social theory that focuses on developing a sociological view of institutions, the way they interact and the effects of institutions...
and Hegelian historicist
Historicism
Historicism is a mode of thinking that assigns a central and basic significance to a specific context, such as historical period, geographical place and local culture. As such it is in contrast to individualist theories of knowledges such as empiricism and rationalism, which neglect the role of...
perspective of older labor theorists such as Selig Perlman
Selig Perlman
Selig Perlman was an economist and labor historian at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.-Early life and education:Perlman was born in Białystok in Congress Poland in 1888...
, Philip Taft
Philip Taft
Philip Taft was a noted labor historian whose research focused on the labor history of the United States and the American Federation of Labor.POORLY WRITTEN NEEDS MUCH IMPROVEMENT-Early life:...
and John R. Commons
John R. Commons
John Rogers Commons was an American institutional economist and labor historian at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.-Biography:Born in Hollansburg, Ohio, John R. Commons had a religious upbringing which led him to be an advocate for social justice early in life...
. Their findings also contradict to a significant degree the conclusions of other scholars such as Kate Bronfenbrenner
Kate Bronfenbrenner
Kate Bronfenbrenner is the Director of Labor Education Research at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. She is a leading authority on successful strategies in labor union organizing, and on the effects of outsourcing and offshoring on workers and worker rights.-Life...
and Tom Juravich
Tom Juravich
Tom Juravich is a professor of Labor Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is also the director of the UMass Amherst Labor Relations and Research Center , and director of the LRRC's Union Leadership and Administration program....
, who find that greater levels of worker involvement in union organizing can be equated with a higher degree of union success. For labor activists, the Voss and Sherman article is controversial because it seems to suggest that union democracy
Union democracy
Union democracy is a school of thought within organized labor which argues that sound unionism requires adherence to principles and practices of democratic trade unionism; that internal democracy and greater membership control make unions stronger and better able to fight for the rights and...
is not an important factor in either union organizing success or in the revitalization of the labor movement.
In subsequent work, Sherman explored the limits that culture places on the transplantation of union organizing strategies and the role social movement unionism
Social Movement Unionism
Social Movement Unionism is a trend of theory and practice in contemporary trade unionism. Strongly associated with the labour movements of developing countries, Social Movement Unionism is distinct from many other models of trade unionism because it concerns itself with more than organising...
plays in effective union organizing.
Memberships and awards
Sherman is a member of the American Sociological AssociationAmerican Sociological Association
The American Sociological Association , founded in 1905 as the American Sociological Society , is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology by serving sociologists in their work and promoting their contributions to serve society.The ASA holds its...
(ASA). Sherman is an editorial board member of the ASA's "Rose Series," a program which publishes research monographs and books aimed at sociologists, social scientists and policy-makers on wide-ranging sociological questions or social policy issues. She is also the editor of the newsletter of the ASA Section on Labor and Labor Movements.
Sherman has twice been awarded a National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
dissertation grant, and received a number of fellowships from sources as diverse as the University of California Institute for Labor and Employment; the Institute of Industrial Relations at the University of California, Berkeley; and Brown University.
Sherman's article, "Breaking the Iron Law of Oligarchy: Tactical Innovation and the Revitalization of the American Labor Movement" (co-authored with Kim Voss) won the Distinguished Article Award of the Labor Studies Division of the Society for the Study of Social Problems in 2001.
Sherman is a reviewer for a number of professional and scholarly journals, including the American Journal of Sociology
American Journal of Sociology
The American Journal of Sociology was established in 1895 by Albion Small and is the oldest academic journal of sociology in the United States. The journal is attached to the University of Chicago's sociology department and it is published bimonthly by The University of Chicago Press. Its...
, Ethnography
Ethnography (Journal)
Ethnography is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes papers in the field of Sociology. The journal's editors are Paul Willis and Peter Geschiere...
, Labor Studies Journal
Labor Studies Journal
Labor Studies Journal is a multi-disciplinary academic publication about workers and labor organizations in the United States as well as internationally. It was founded in 1975....
, Social Problems
Social problems
Social problems are problems and difficulties that people often face in society. These include:*crime*corruption*poverty*homelessness*hunger*disease*drug addiction*alcoholism*schizophrenia*depression*pollution...
and Theory and Society.
Solely authored books
- Class Acts: Service and Inequality in Luxury Hotels. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press, 2007. ISBN 0520247817
Solely authored articles
- "From State Introversion to State Extension in Mexico: Modes of Emigrant Incorporation, 1900-1997." Theory and Society. 28:6 (December 1999).
- "Producing the Superior Self: Strategic Comparison and Symbolic Boundaries Among Luxury Hotel Workers." Ethnography. 6:2 (2005).
Co-authored articles
- Voss, Kim and Sherman, Rachel. "Breaking the Iron Law of Oligarchy: Tactical Innovation and the Revitalization of the American Labor Movement." American Journal of Sociology. 106:2 (September 2000).
Co-authored book chapters
- Carter, Bob; Fairbrother, Peter; Sherman, Rachel; and Voss, Kim. "Made in the USA, Imported into Britain: The Organizing Model and the Limits of Transferability." In Research in the Sociology of Work. Vol. 11: Labor Revitalization: Global Perspectives and New Initiatives. Dan Cornfield and Holly McCammon, eds. Kidlington, Oxford, U.K.: JAI Press, 2003. ISBN 0762308826
- Sherman, Rachel and Voss, Kim. "Organize or Die: New Organizing Tactics and Immigrant Workers." In Organizing Immigrants: The Challenge for Unions in Contemporary California. Ruth Milkman, ed. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2000. ISBN 0801436974
- Voss, Kim and Sherman, Rachel. "You Can't Just Do it Automatically: The Transition to Social Movement Unionism in the United States." In Trade Unions in Renewal: A Comparative Study. Peter Fairbrother and Charlotte A.B. Yates, eds. London: Continuum, 2003. ISBN 0826454364