Description
Book SynopsisAt the center of the upheavals brought by emancipation in the American South was the economic and social transition from slavery to modern capitalism. In Between Slavery and Capitalism, Martin Ruef examines how this institutional change affected individuals, organizations, and communities in the late nineteenth century, as blacks and whites alike l
Trade ReviewWinner of the 2015 Viviana Zelizer Award for Best Book, Economic Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association "[A] compelling analysis of the swiftly changing economic and social institutions in the American south after the Civil War."--Heather A. Haveman, Administrative Science Quarterly "The book excels in providing a comprehensive analytical framework for understanding large-scale social change... Ruef makes excellent use of a wide range of data, including both historical census data and interviews with former slaves conducted by the Federal Writers' Project, to consider patterns of intergenerational status attainment among those who lived through emancipation... A fine exemplar of a historical-comparative analysis of economic change."--Joseph O. Jewell, American Journal of Sociology
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations vii List of Tables ix Preface xi Acknowledgments xv 1. Institutional Transformation and Uncertainty 1 2. Constructing a Free Labor Market 21 3. Status Attainment among Emancipated Slaves 50 4. Class Structure in the Old and New South 75 5. The Demise of the Plantation 103 6. Credit and Trade in the New South 131 7. Paths to Development 156 8. Emancipation in Comparative Perspective 181 Appendix A. Data Sources and Sampling 195 Appendix B. Idiosyncrasy 203 Notes 209 References 253 Index 277
