Labor in the Formation of the California Wine Industry

Major: History Faculty Mentor: Dr. René Alexander Orquiza, History and Classics My thesis brings attention to the creation of the California wine industry from a bottom-up perspective, highlighting the images and voices of the various farm workers who enabled the region’s widespread popularity and success in the late twentieth century. From the late 1800s to World War II, the California wine industry was established, challenged, and reinvented amidst racist rhetoric by labor organizations, the Chinese Exclusion Act, Prohibition, and the Great Depression. As laborers in multiple capacities, Native Americans, Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans, Indian Americans, and women were essential to the industry during this time. However, they rarely receive any recognition, especially compared to the white European Americans who often started or presided over vineyards