The Livelihood of Kin

Making Ends Meet "The Kentucky Way"

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book The Livelihood of Kin by Rhoda H. Halperin, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Rhoda H. Halperin ISBN: 9780292758018
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: August 26, 2013
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Rhoda H. Halperin
ISBN: 9780292758018
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: August 26, 2013
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English

Rural Appalachians in Kentucky call it "The Kentucky Way"—making a living by doing many kinds of paid and unpaid work and sharing their resources within extended family networks. In fact, these strategies are practiced by rural people in many parts of the world, but they have not been studied extensively in the United States. In The Livelihood of Kin, Rhoda Halperin undertakes a detailed exploration of this complex, family-oriented economy, showing how it promotes economic well-being and a sense of identity for the people who follow it. Using actual life and work histories, Halperin shows how people make a living "in between" the cash economy of the city and the agricultural subsistence economy of the country. In regionally based, three-generation kin networks, family members work individually and jointly at many tasks: small-scale agricultural production, food processing and storage, odd jobs, selling used and new goods in marketplaces, and wage labor, much of which is temporary. People can make ends meet even in the face of job layoffs and declining crop subsidies. With these strategies people win a considerable degree of autonomy and control over their lives. Halperin also examines how such multiple livelihood strategies define individual identity by emphasizing a person’s role in the family network over an occupation. She reveals, through psychiatric case histories, what damage can result when individuals leave the family network for wage employment in the cities, as increasing urbanization has forced many people to do. While certainly of interest to scholars of Appalachian studies, this lively and readable study will also be important for economic anthropologists and urban and rural sociologists.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Rural Appalachians in Kentucky call it "The Kentucky Way"—making a living by doing many kinds of paid and unpaid work and sharing their resources within extended family networks. In fact, these strategies are practiced by rural people in many parts of the world, but they have not been studied extensively in the United States. In The Livelihood of Kin, Rhoda Halperin undertakes a detailed exploration of this complex, family-oriented economy, showing how it promotes economic well-being and a sense of identity for the people who follow it. Using actual life and work histories, Halperin shows how people make a living "in between" the cash economy of the city and the agricultural subsistence economy of the country. In regionally based, three-generation kin networks, family members work individually and jointly at many tasks: small-scale agricultural production, food processing and storage, odd jobs, selling used and new goods in marketplaces, and wage labor, much of which is temporary. People can make ends meet even in the face of job layoffs and declining crop subsidies. With these strategies people win a considerable degree of autonomy and control over their lives. Halperin also examines how such multiple livelihood strategies define individual identity by emphasizing a person’s role in the family network over an occupation. She reveals, through psychiatric case histories, what damage can result when individuals leave the family network for wage employment in the cities, as increasing urbanization has forced many people to do. While certainly of interest to scholars of Appalachian studies, this lively and readable study will also be important for economic anthropologists and urban and rural sociologists.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book Border Junkies by Rhoda H. Halperin
Cover of the book Texas Furniture, Volume Two by Rhoda H. Halperin
Cover of the book Design for a Vulnerable Planet by Rhoda H. Halperin
Cover of the book On Story—Screenwriters and Filmmakers on Their Iconic Films by Rhoda H. Halperin
Cover of the book U.S. Foreign Policy and Peru by Rhoda H. Halperin
Cover of the book Mexican Anarchism after the Revolution by Rhoda H. Halperin
Cover of the book Demosthenes, Speeches 27-38 by Rhoda H. Halperin
Cover of the book The Ecology of the Barí by Rhoda H. Halperin
Cover of the book Art and the Higher Life by Rhoda H. Halperin
Cover of the book Surrender (But Don't Give Yourself Away) by Rhoda H. Halperin
Cover of the book Palestinian Lawyers and Israeli Rule by Rhoda H. Halperin
Cover of the book Tips, Tools, and Techniques to Care for Antiques, Collectibles, and Other Treasures by Rhoda H. Halperin
Cover of the book The Mexican Outsiders by Rhoda H. Halperin
Cover of the book Playas of the Great Plains by Rhoda H. Halperin
Cover of the book Portable Borders by Rhoda H. Halperin
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy