Title: The Cult of Spontaneity: Finnish-Canadian Bushworkers and the Industrial Workers of the World in Northern Ontario, 1919-1934
Abstract:In the 1920s and early 1930s the Industrial Workers of the World were a force to be reckoned with among Finnish bushworkers in northern Ontario. Although the Lumber Workers Industrial Union no. 120, a...In the 1920s and early 1930s the Industrial Workers of the World were a force to be reckoned with among Finnish bushworkers in northern Ontario. Although the Lumber Workers Industrial Union no. 120, affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World, was smaller than its rival, the Lumber Workers Industrial Union of Canada, affiliated with the Communist Party, the Wobbly union played a major role in bushworker strikes in the mid-1920s and early 1930s. Committed to anti-authoritarianism, decentralization, and rank-and-file initiative, Finnish Wobbly bushworkers were part of an ethnic-based working-class culture in which the economic struggles of the bushworkers were made possible by the tireless work of Finnish Wobbly women, who were the backbone of Wobbly social, cultural, and organizational life in urban centres like Port Arthur. In a 20th century dominated by bureaucracy, legality, and state-directed social programs, the Finnish Wobblies of northern Ontario leave a legacy of dedication to self-education and self-activity in an age so often identified with the demise of the Wobblies and the victory of mass culture.
Resume
Au cours des annees 1920 et le debut des annees 1930, l'lndustrial Workers of the World (IWW) a constitue une force importante parmi les travailleurs du bois finlandais du nord de l'Ontario. Bien que le local 120 de l'Union Industrielle desTravailleurs du Bois, affilie au IWW, comptait moins de membres que sa rivale, l'Union Industrielle Canadienne des Travailleurs du Bois, affiliee au Parti Communiste, l'IWW a joue un role majeur dans les greves des travailleurs du bois. Devoues aux principes de l'anti-autoritarisme, de la decentralisation, et de l'initiative de la base, les membres finlandais de l'IWW ont fait partie d'une culture de classe ouvriere basee sur l'appartenance ethnique. Leurs luttes economiques ont ete rendues possible grâce au travail inlassable des femmes, qui ont forme le pivot de la vie sociale, culturelle, et organisationnelle de l'IWW dans les centres urbains tels que Port Arthur. A une epoque dominee par la bureaucracie, la legalite, et les programmes sociaux geres par l'Etat, les membres finlandais de l'IWW du nord Ontario se sont distingues par leur devouement a l'education de leurs membres eta l'activite personnelle. Leur accomplissement est d'autant remarquable qu'il s'est produit a une epoque generalement associee au declin de l'IWW et a la victoire del a culture de masse.Read More
Publication Year: 1998
Publication Date: 1998-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 6
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