Opting for Elsewhere - Lifestyle Migration in the American Middle Class (Hardcover)

"Do you get told what the good life is, or do you figure it out for yourself?" This is the central question of "Opting for Elsewhere," as the reader encounters stories of people who chose relocation as a way of redefining themselves and reordering work, family, and personal priorities. This is a book about the impulse to start over. Whether downshifting from stressful careers or being downsized from jobs lost in a surge of economic restructuring, lifestyle migrants seek refuge in places that seem to resonate with an idealized, potential self. Choosing the "option of elsewhere" and moving as a means of remaking self through sheer force of will are basic facets of American character, forged in its history as a developing nation of immigrants with a seemingly ever-expanding frontier. Building off years of interviews and research in the Midwest, including areas of Michigan, Brian Hoey provides an evocative illustration of the ways these sweeping changes impact people and the communities where 'they live and work as well as how both react--devising strategies for either coping with or challenging the status quo. This portrait of starting over in the heartland of America compels the reader to ask where we are going next as an emerging postindustrial society.

General

Imprint:	Vanderbilt University Press
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	December 2014
First published:	August 2014
Authors:	Brian A. Hoey
Dimensions:	254 x 178 x 23mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover - Cloth over boards / With dust jacket
Pages:	272
ISBN-13:	978-0-8265-2005-0
Categories:	Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Population & demography > Immigration & emigration
LSN:	0-8265-2005-7
Barcode:	9780826520050

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!