Premium
The Dance of Power: Ritual and Agency among Unionized American Health Care Workers
Author(s) -
Durrenberger E. Paul,
Erem Suzan
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
american anthropologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1548-1433
pISSN - 0002-7294
DOI - 10.1525/aa.1997.99.3.489
Subject(s) - charter , agency (philosophy) , power (physics) , dance , health care , sociology , political science , gender studies , law , art , social science , visual arts , physics , quantum mechanics
The authors illustrate the roles of agency and structure as workers, management, and a union representative use ritual encounters for their own ends in an American hospital. They also discuss the symbolism of the union contract as a charter for ritual and indicate how it and the structure that defines it subvert the broader goals of the union.