From Head Shops To Whole Foods: The Rise And Fall Of Activist Entrepreneurs (columbia Studies In The History Of U.s. Capitalism)
by Joshua Davis /
2017 / English / EPUB
46.6 MB Download
In the 1960s and ’70s, a diverse range of storefronts―including
head shops, African American bookstores, feminist businesses, and
organic grocers―brought the work of the New Left, Black Power,
feminism, environmentalism, and other movements into the
marketplace. Through shared ownership, limited growth, and
democratic workplaces, these activist entrepreneurs offered
alternatives to conventional profit-driven corporate business
models. By the middle of the 1970s, thousands of these enterprises
operated across the United States―but only a handful survive today.
Some, such as Whole Foods Market, have abandoned their quest for
collective political change in favor of maximizing profits.
In the 1960s and ’70s, a diverse range of storefronts―including
head shops, African American bookstores, feminist businesses, and
organic grocers―brought the work of the New Left, Black Power,
feminism, environmentalism, and other movements into the
marketplace. Through shared ownership, limited growth, and
democratic workplaces, these activist entrepreneurs offered
alternatives to conventional profit-driven corporate business
models. By the middle of the 1970s, thousands of these enterprises
operated across the United States―but only a handful survive today.
Some, such as Whole Foods Market, have abandoned their quest for
collective political change in favor of maximizing profits.
Vividly portraying the struggles, successes, and sacrifices of
these unlikely entrepreneurs,
Vividly portraying the struggles, successes, and sacrifices of
these unlikely entrepreneurs,From Head Shops to Whole
Foods
From Head Shops to Whole
Foodswrites a new history of social movements and capitalism by
showing how activists embraced small businesses in a way few
historians have considered. The book challenges the widespread but
mistaken idea that activism and political dissent are inherently
antithetical to participation in the marketplace. Joshua Clark
Davis uncovers the historical roots of contemporary interest in
ethical consumption, social enterprise, buying local, and
mission-driven business, while also showing how today’s companies
have adopted the language―but not often the mission―of liberation
and social change.
writes a new history of social movements and capitalism by
showing how activists embraced small businesses in a way few
historians have considered. The book challenges the widespread but
mistaken idea that activism and political dissent are inherently
antithetical to participation in the marketplace. Joshua Clark
Davis uncovers the historical roots of contemporary interest in
ethical consumption, social enterprise, buying local, and
mission-driven business, while also showing how today’s companies
have adopted the language―but not often the mission―of liberation
and social change.