In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Detroit and Turin were both sites of significant political and social upheaval. This comparative and transnational study examines the political and theoretical developments that emerged in these two "motor cities" among activist workers and political militants during these decades.

Nicola Pizzolato is Research Fellow in the School of History at Queen Mary, University of London, UK. Since 2003 he has been researching and writing on the interplay between racial representations, political identity, and social protest in American history and has published articles in journals such as the International Review of Social History, Labor History, Quaderni Storici, and Contemporary European History.

Introduction  1. The Making and Unmaking of Fordism  2. The "American Model" in Turin  3. The Cities of Discontent  4. A Global Struggle in a Local Context  Conclusions: Two Different Paths