Hard decisions and hard coal : debt bondage and resistance in the anthracite fields at the turn of the 20th century

For over a century, coal company towns dotted northeastern Pennsylvania’s landscape, sitting upon the world’s largest accessible anthracite deposit. Shortly after the end of European feudalism, coal companies developed their own feudalist system in the United States in isolated “patch” towns. In this thesis I affectually historicize the treatment of mine workers by the coal companies and the power relations within these towns. I do this through an analysis of worker resistance and union demands, studying power through a Foucauldian lens and applying affect theory from feminist geographers. This thesis also serves as a critique of macro-historical approaches, as I explore alternative methods which actively avoid the homogenization of individuals’ experiences. Finally, I ask the following: whose stories has history ignored in this region? Using primary sources, I take particular interest in the oft-forgotten narratives of women and children, interpreting their contributions to the household economy, and to resistance.Anthropolog