The American Labor Movement
DATA SOURCE & ONTOLOGY
The data set used in this project was provided through the Digital Humanities Department @ UCLA through the DH101 course. It is composed of the initial research compiled in The American Labor Who’s Who (1925), edited by Solon De Leon, which serves as a notable source of information on the subject.
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In short, the initial research which led to our dataset came to be due to the lack of existing work focusing on the leadership behind this critical period, with intentions of public knowledge, as well as a shift in the mindset of labor stakeholders and momentum for further potential social advancement. With that said, the movement of data from its original page publication to the modern spreadsheet our group interacted with can be presumed to have imperfections, which can be further critiqued.
Data Critique
Who does the dataset represent?
The Who’s Who in the AML dataset is qualitative, containing the names, titles, organizations, and general background information (e.g. birthday, origin of birth, career, title, education, and even their fathers’ occupations) of individuals who were considered the “who’s who” -- union group leaders, labor politicians, workers’ rights advocates, etc.
What can the data help illuminate?
The data set used in this project was provided through the Digital Humanities Department at UCLA through the DH101 course. It is composed of the initial research compiled from the book The American Labor Who's Who (1925), edited by Solon De Leon, which serves as the very first notable source of information on labor leaders.
How was the data generated?
The author makes note that, at the time, there was no existing reference work regarding important contributors to the labor movement. Thus, the selection of individuals represented in the data set is subjective to the author's criteria. According to the publication, data was generated by compiling biographical information on “outstanding figures in trade unionism, labor politics, workers’ education, labor defense, cooperation, progressive farmers’ groups, and related labor movements throughout the nation” (De Leon).
Current Limitations
Although the data set consists of a great deal of information, all data has its limitations. Gaps in our data set and missing information hold much influence when analyzing, and can deprive us of certain insights.
In this present case, some limitations include:
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individuals that are part of organizations with policies against personal publicity
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individuals who were held back by fear of attention or fame
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individuals who faced or could potentially face danger, hardships, and victimization.
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Furthermore, since it is clear that not all people involved in the American Labor Movement are included in the dataset, future analysts are left wondering what criteria were used to choose the included people. Due to the lack of information, there is no framework to model the extent of involvement or contribution of these individuals. Without this context, it may seem that choices were slightly random, but not intentionally so, leaving room to consider bias, limited availability, etc.
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