Eli Revelle Yano Wilson, "Handcrafted Careers: Working the Artisan Economy of Craft Beer" (U California Press, 2024)

Sep 17, 2024

Eli Revelle Yano Wilson, a sociologist focused on the craft beer industry's labor dynamics, explores the tensions between passion and stability in careers. They discuss how social connections and cultural beliefs shape diverse pathways within the artisan economy. Key challenges include gender and racial disparities, with insights into the workforce demographics dominated by 'bearded white men.' Wilson highlights how systemic challenges intersect with personal passion, revealing complex motivations among individuals navigating this vibrant yet uneven labor landscape.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

Crafting Careers: Passion vs. Stability

01:55 • 16min

Exploring Career Pathways in the Craft Beer Economy

17:54 • 3min

Craft Beer Industry Demographics

21:06 • 13min

Navigating Passion and Structure in the Craft Beer Industry

34:01 • 2min

Brewing Beyond Employment

36:11 • 9min

Reflections on Service Industry Dynamics and Academic Journeys

45:28 • 3min

Handcrafted Careers: Working the Artisan Economy of Craft Beer (U California Press, 2024) unpacks the problems and privileges of pursuing a career of passion by exploring work inside craft breweries.

As workers attempt new modes of employment in the era of the Great Resignation, they face a labor landscape that is increasingly uncertain and stubbornly unequal. With Handcrafted Careers, sociologist Eli Revelle Yano Wilson dives headfirst into the everyday lives of workers in the craft beer industry to address key questions facing American workers today: about what makes a good career, who gets to have one, and how careers progress without established models.

Wilson argues that what ends up contributing to divergent career paths in craft beer is a complex interplay of social connections, personal tastes, and cultural ideas, as well as exclusionary industry structures. The culture of work in craft beer is based around “bearded white guy” ideals that are gendered and racialized in ways that limit the advancement of women and people of color. A fresh perspective on niche industries, Handcrafted Careers offers sharp insights into how people navigate worlds of work that promote ideas of authenticity and passion-filled careers even amid instability.

Michael O. Johnston, Ph.D. is a Assistant Professor of Sociology at William Penn University. He is the author of The Social Construction of a Cultural Spectacle: Floatzilla (Lexington Books, 2023) and Community Media Representations of Place and Identity at Tug Fest: Reconstructing the Mississippi River (Lexington Books, 2022). His general area of study is at the intersection of built-environment, experience, identity, and place. He is currently conducting research on how architectural designers, builders, and community planners negotiate a sense of identity and place for residents of newly constructed neighborhoods. To learn more about Michael O. Johnston you can go to his website, Google Scholar, Twitter @ProfessorJohnst, or by email at johnstonmo@wmpenn.edu.

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