Fair Share - by Gary Alan Fine (Paperback)

About the Book

"If you've ever been to a protest or been involved in a political group, you have likely experienced a distinct cultural niche, one with its own slogans, lingo, and social dynamics. Though one might immediately think of a cohort of relatively young organizers with bullhorns when imagining protest culture, this ethnography from sociologist Gary Alan Fine explores the social world of senior citizens on the front lines of progressive protests, specifically those involved in Chicago Seniors Together, an activist group founded in the 1970s. While seniors are a notoriously important-and historically conservative-political cohort, Chicago Seniors Together is a decidedly leftist organization. The group has advocated for social issues, such as affordable housing and healthcare, that affect all sectors of society, but take on a particular meaning and urgency in the lives of seniors. Seniors thus connect and mobilize over a distinct experience, but in service of concerns that extend beyond themselves. Not only do these seniors experience social issues in a unique capacity; they are also able to use their age as an effective tool in advocating for political issues. Fine not only takes us into an overlooked political group, he describes how what he calls a tiny public mobilizes their group's concerns toward broad social change. More specifically, he shows that senior citizen activists are particularly savvy about using age to their advantage in social movements. What could be more attention grabbing than a group of passionate older people determinedly shuffling through snowy streets to demand healthcare equity, risking their own health in the process?"--

Book Synopsis

A deeply researched ethnographic portrait of progressive senior activists in Chicago who demonstrate how a tiny public wields collective power to advocate for broad social change.

If you've ever been to a protest or been involved in a movement for social change, you have likely experienced a local culture, one with slogans, jargon, and shared commitments. Though one might think of a cohort of youthful organizers when imagining protest culture, this powerful ethnography from esteemed sociologist Gary Alan Fine explores the world of senior citizens on the front lines of progressive protests. While seniors are a notoriously important--and historically conservative--political cohort, the group Fine calls "Chicago Seniors Together" is a decidedly leftist organization, inspired by the model of Saul Alinsky. The group advocates for social issues, such as affordable housing and healthcare, that affect all sectors of society but take on a particular urgency in the lives of seniors. Seniors connect and mobilize around their distinct experiences but do so in service of concerns that extend beyond themselves. Not only do these seniors experience social issues as seniors--but they use their age as a dramatic visual in advocating for political change.

In Fair Share, Fine brings readers into the vital world of an overlooked political group, describing how a "tiny public" mobilizes its demands for broad social change. In investigating this process, he shows that senior citizen activists are particularly savvy about using age to their advantage in social movements. After all, what could be more attention-grabbing than a group of passionate older people determinedly shuffling through snowy streets with canes, in wheelchairs, and holding walkers to demand healthcare equity, risking their own health in the process?

Review Quotes

"Fine's ethnography offers a deep and joyful dive into the contradictions and strengths of elder activism."-- "Choice"

"In Fair Share: Senior Activism, Tiny Publics, and the Culture of Resistance, Fine makes an excellent case for . . . an example of observing a social movement as something like a social club. The meso-level of society, a middle and peopled realm wherein local values, interactions, experiences, and stories produce the necessary sociality for pursuing activism, shines through the book."--J. L. Johnson "Symbolic Interaction"

"The Baby Boom generation is not going quietly into the night. In entertaining detail, Gary Alan Fine, perhaps the finest ethnographer of that generation, shows us how and why they continue to cause beautiful trouble in politics. Fair Share is a pleasure to read."--James M. Jasper, CUNY Graduate Center

About the Author

Gary Alan Fine is the James E. Johnson Professor of Sociology at Northwestern University. He has written many books, including, most recently The Hinge: Civil Society, Group Cultures, and the Power of Local Commitments, also published by the University of Chicago Press.