Author ORCID Identifier:

https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7761-0741

Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Sociology (MA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Sociology and Criminology

Advisor/Mentor

Norton-Smith, Kathryn

Committee Member

Allison, Kayla

Second Committee Member

Yang, Song

Keywords

grounded theory; joy; labor revitalization; qualitative interviews

Abstract

This study seeks to illuminate the ways that working women across the Southern United States organize labor within their communities both in and outside of the traditional union space. Due to the repressive nature of labor policy across the Southern US, this study focuses on how both unions and non-union organizations in the South generate feelings of collective identity and sustain solidarity. This study explores one central question: How do women in unions and worker-organizations in the South build solidarity and sustain collective action under restrictive labor conditions. Early findings reveal that working women in the South navigate multiple barriers at the national, regional, and organizational levels that constrain working women's ability to organize labor power within their respective states and industries: These barriers include federal policies that leave workers unprotected, state-level right to work laws, and bureaucratic struggles between union leadership and rank-and-file members. Yet, these constraints simultaneously push workers to develop responses that address their unique needs. Participants describe using joy as an innovative tool for building resistance, solidarity, and collective action. Both union and non- union members cultivate joy through organizational activities such as therapy, meditation, and healing circles, and describe the importance of “socializing before organizing” as these programs create spaces for members to connect and build the solidarity needed to sustain commitment toward collective action. These findings suggest the importance of joy as a tool for building solidarity and collective identity among workers.

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