Putting Their Hands on Race

“Danielle Phillips-Cunningham's Putting Their Hands on Race is a pioneering comparative analysis of the distinct and overlapping labor and migration histories of Irish immigrant and Black domestic workers, as well as their activist struggles against exploitation and stereotyping. Employing familiar racial formation theory and intersectional feminist theory in complex ways, this interdisciplinary project makes important contributions to whiteness studies, African American Studies, Women's Studies, and labor history.”— Beverly Guy-Sheftall, co-author of Gender Talk: The Struggle for Women's Equality in African American Communities
“Danielle Phillips-Cunningham has produced a remarkable comparative history of Irish and African American domestic workers that illuminates the processes of racialization and points to possibilities for cross-racial political alliances. Deeply researched and theoretically sophisticated, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in labor history.”— Premilla Nadasen, author of Household Workers Unite: The Untold Story of African American Women who Built a Movement
"Putting Their Hands on Race remains an effective synthesis of the existing literature on the intersections of race and labor, with a focus on the unique experiences and efforts of women. It is a good starting place for those interested in intersectional and comparative forms of history. The focus on Irish immigrant and southern Black migrant women also offers plenty of room for comparison to other groups of women."— H-Net
"The original and valuable contribution of Putting Their Hands on Race is placing women at the theoretical center of the question of how the Irish became “White” and African Americans remained static. A gendered analysis both complicates and clarifies our understanding, and that is a noteworthy accomplishment."— Journal of African American History
"Putting Their Hands on Race remains an effective synthesis of the existing literature on the intersections of race and labor, with a focus on the unique experiences and efforts of women. It is a good starting place for those interested in intersectional and comparative forms of history. The focus on Irish immigrant and southern Black migrant women also offers plenty of room for comparison to other groups of women."— H-Net
“Danielle Phillips-Cunningham has produced a remarkable comparative history of Irish and African American domestic workers that illuminates the processes of racialization and points to possibilities for cross-racial political alliances. Deeply researched and theoretically sophisticated, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in labor history.”— Premilla Nadasen, author of Household Workers Unite: The Untold Story of African American Women who Built a Movement
"The original and valuable contribution of Putting Their Hands on Race is placing women at the theoretical center of the question of how the Irish became “White” and African Americans remained static. A gendered analysis both complicates and clarifies our understanding, and that is a noteworthy accomplishment."— Journal of African American History
“Danielle Phillips-Cunningham's Putting Their Hands on Race is a pioneering comparative analysis of the distinct and overlapping labor and migration histories of Irish immigrant and Black domestic workers, as well as their activist struggles against exploitation and stereotyping. Employing familiar racial formation theory and intersectional feminist theory in complex ways, this interdisciplinary project makes important contributions to whiteness studies, African American Studies, Women's Studies, and labor history.”— Beverly Guy-Sheftall, co-author of Gender Talk: The Struggle for Women's Equality in African American Communities